French Apple Cake

I recently ended up with a handful of apples that were not looking too appetizing. Seeing as how it's summer, I've been eating tons of nectarines and cherries, but have pretty much avoided the good ol' apple. Since I hate throwing away food, I figured I'd bake with them. I found this cake recipe and thought I'd give it a try since I had everything at home.

This recipe calls for a mixture of apples. Since the apple is the star of this cake, it's nice having chunks of sweet apples next to tart apples. Dave Lebovitz suggests that if you must exclude the rum (which adds a really great flavor to the cake), triple the vanilla amount. This cake is filled with apples, which I love since each bite is has almost more apple than cake. In reviews, some people had trouble with the butter seeping out of the springform. I did not, but to be safe, I baked the cake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan via Dave Lebovitz

3/4 cup (110g) flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

4 large apples, a mix of any variety, peeled and cored

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

3 tablespoons dark rum

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 tablespoons (1 stick/115g) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350ºF/175ºC and position your oven rack to the center. Generously butter and flour an 8" or 9" springform.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Cut the apples into 1 inch pieces (this doesn't need to be perfect). Next, whisk the eggs in a larger bowl until they are foamy. Whisk in the sugar for a moment, then add the rum and vanilla. Mix in half of the flour mixture followed by half of the butter, stirring carefully. Mix in the remaning flour mixture, then butter. Fold in the apple cubes and mix to coat well. Pour the batter into the prepared springform and smooth the top a little if you need to flatten it.

Bake the cake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes then carefully run a knife along the edge of the springform to loosen. Once cooled, remove the cake from the pan completely.

Serve the cake on its own, with a dollop of creme fraiche, vanilla ice cream, vanilla cream, etc... To store the cake, keep uncovered at room temperature (where you have sliced it, you can place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap). If you must cover it, store it under an upside-down bowl. The cake will keep for 3 days.


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