September 21, 2013

French Apple Cake


We own some land in upstate NY and there are some apple trees on it.  This year my husband went to great lengths to do whatever he could to make sure we got the best possible apples this year.  So last weekend he drove over and collected the ones he could reach and brought them home for all of us to try.  Whatever he did to those trees must have worked because these apples looked much better than the ones he brought home last year!  They are on the tart side, but that's fine with me because I prefer to cook with tart apples.

I have been wanting to try a French Apple Cake recipe from one of my Cook's Illustrated magazines for quite some time, so that's the first thing I made.  Even though I changed the recipe slightly, the cake turned out beautifully!  Both my husband and son loved it, as did I.  It's very moist, slightly dense and downright delicious (which I am sure has everything to do with those amazing apples ☺).  What shall I make next.....



French Apple Cake (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)  

2 1/4 cups apples, peeled & cored, sliced 1/8 thick (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup flour + 2 tbsp
1 cup sugar + 1 tbsp
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg + 2 yolks
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted but cooled
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla 

Preheat oven to 325, and spray a 9" springform pan with cooking spray.  Place pan onto an aluminum lined cookie sheet.  Place sliced apples in a microwave safe dish, cover and cook for about 3 minutes or until apples bend but don't break (pliable).  Add the lemon juice and toss to combine.  Let the apples stand/cool for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 whole egg, both oils, milk and vanilla until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Scoop out 1 cup of the batter and set aside in a separate bowl.  Whisk the egg yolks into the larger portion of the batter, then gently fold in the apples.  Pour batter into the springform pan, and make sure batter is spread evenly in the pan.  Whisk the remaining 2 tbsp of flour into the reserved batter and pour over the batter that's already in the pan.  Sprinkle the remaining tbsp of sugar evenly over the top.  Bake until center comes out clean & top is golden brown, about 1 hr 10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack and cool for 2-3 hours.  Dust with confectioner's sugar when ready to serve.

2 comments:

  1. This looks delicious! Can't wait to try it!

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