Chicago-Style Bakery Apple Slices

Ah, Chicago-Style Bakery Apple Slices—these are classic soft, sweet, cinnamon-spiced apple bars, often found in bakeries in Chicago and the Midwest. They’re a cross between an apple cake and a pastry bar, with a tender cake base, apple filling, and sometimes a crumb or glaze topping. Here’s a tried-and-true recipe:

Chicago-Style Bakery Apple Slices

Ingredients:

For the base/cake:

• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the apple filling:

• 4 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work well)

• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp flour (optional, helps thicken filling)

For the topping (optional crumb or glaze):

• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

• 1/4 cup (35 g) all-purpose flour

• 2 tbsp butter, melted

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven: 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.

2. Prepare apple filling:

   • In a bowl, toss apple slices with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and optional flour. Set aside.

3. Make the cake base:

   • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

   • Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. Stir in vanilla.

   • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

   • Gradually add dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined.

4. Assemble:

   • Spread half of the cake batter evenly in the prepared pan.

   • Layer the apple filling evenly over the batter.

   • Drop the remaining batter in spoonfuls over the apples (it will spread while baking).

   • Optional: sprinkle crumb topping over the top.

5. Bake:

   • Bake 45–55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake layer (not the apple layer) comes out clean and the top is golden brown.

   • Let cool completely before cutting into squares or bars.

6. Serve:

   • Optionally, drizzle with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and milk.

   • These slices are perfect on their own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

💡 Tips for Bakery-Style Texture:

• Use tart apples (Granny Smith) for that classic balance of sweet & tangy.

• Don’t overmix the batter—you want a tender, cakey texture, not dense.

• Let it cool completely before slicing so the layers hold together nicely.

If you want, I can also give a “Chicago Bakery Copycat Version” with a super soft, custardy apple filling and thin buttery glaze that tastes just like they sell in the stores—it’s next-level delicious.