John Myers
If you want to bake with apples, tart apples, so-called cooking or baking apples, which only fully develop their aroma in the oven, are best suited. We show you different types of sour apples that you can use to bake great cakes.
Does Apple equal apple?
Absolutely not – because if you think you can use every apple variety equally well for baking and also for different cakes, you are wrong. While dessert apples taste delicious raw and are crunchy and sweet, they are usually unsuitable for baking. For a delicious apple pie, you should use sour apple varieties, which eaten raw may not taste particularly intense or just sour but are in top form when baked.
Our tip: You don’t want to buy so many different apples or you don’t know whether you would rather prepare an apple pie or a fruit salad? Then grab an “all-rounder” like the Elstar – these are tart apples that taste good raw and in a cake.
Suitable tart apples for baking
Acid is the keyword when it comes to apples, which are ideal for baking. Sour apples, which are part of the cooking fruit, only develop their full flavor during cooking and baking and are wonderfully aromatic in an apple pie. You should also pay attention to the consistency if you want to buy sour apple varieties for baking cakes: the apple pieces should
- remain firm to the bite
- not completely disintegrated (then only use for cooking)
- do not add too much liquid to the dough
Tip: If you want to bake a cake with applesauce, then opt for tart apples, which break down more when they are boiled.
Classic tart apple varieties on the market
You can find most of these tart apple varieties in stores these days, so you’re ready for your next apple pie.
Boscope
- Classic when it comes to tart apple varieties
- relatively large fruits with firm flesh
- intensively fruity taste with a lot of acidities
- Use fully ripe, red Boskop apples for baking
- is harvested as a winter apple from November
- particularly suitable for cakes with apple sauce
Braeburn
- medium-sized to large apples with a shiny skin
- juicy pulp, but not too mushy after baking
- sweet and sour aroma, rather “medium sour”
- suitable for apple pie and apple strudel
- is harvested in October
Elstar
- very well-known and popular sour apple variety
- medium-sized fruits: yellow on one side, red on the other
- light, juicy flesh
- very aromatic and slightly sour taste with a slightly spicy aroma
- Harvest from September
Granny Smith
- popular apple variety with medium-sized fruits
- yellow-green skin and light to greenish flesh
- has a high proportion of fruit acids
- but can also be mixed with other apple varieties to reduce the acidity
- is harvested from the end of October
Jonagold
- Baking classics
- large fruits with shiny skin
- light-colored flesh with a sweet to slightly sour taste
- well suited for apple muffins or apple pie
Topaz
- New breed from 1984 with greasy skin
- firm, juicy flesh with a fine and pleasant acidity
- Like all winter apples that can be stored well, it only ripens after it has been harvested
Other tart apple varieties for baking
Bismarck apple
- old, rather unknown apple variety with a thick skin
- smells faintly of vanilla
- white, very sour flesh
- eaten raw with minimal flavor
- Harvest from October
- long shelf life
Cox Orange
- very popular when it comes to tart apple varieties
- old apple variety with relatively small fruits
- juicy, medium-firm flesh
- fine, slightly sour taste
- Autumn apple harvest time in October
Bell apple
- old apple variety with a not entirely smooth surface
- visually appealing “red cheeks”
- quite dry flesh
- Baked apples with absolutely refreshing acidity
- Harvest in December
Gravensteiner
- old apple variety with large, reddish striped fruits
- smooth, slightly greasy skin
- light, juicy flesh with a sweet and sour aroma
- with a slightly spicy taste
- well suited for cakes with apple pieces that are firm to the bite, such as grandma’s covered
- apple cake
Holstein Cox
- quite an unknown apple variety with a great aroma
- medium-sized to large fruits with light-colored flesh
- the sour and slightly spicy taste
- Autumn apple harvest time from September
Tip: It is better not to stock up large amounts of Holsteiner Cox, as the flesh quickly becomes floury if stored for a long time.
James Grieve
- medium-sized fruits with yellow skin and red stripes on the sunny side
- medium-firm, very juicy flesh with a pleasant acidity
- However, it also tastes good in raw
- Summer apple harvest time from mid-August
Pilot
- rather unknown apple variety with medium-sized fruits
- rough skin and pressure-resistant flesh
- sweet and sour taste with a pleasant tang
- The aroma is slightly reminiscent of nuts
- Winter apple is suitable for cakes and stuffed baked apples
But rather sweet?
If you prefer sweet apple varieties, we recommend the bright red Gala with its firm, yellowish flesh for baking, or the very sweet Fuji, a cross between the Ralls Janet and Red Delicious varieties that has only been available since 1962.
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