By Joy Nordenstrom
Cooking for Two and Romantic Meals Expert
Inspired by the incredible French Apple Cake I had when traveling in
Paris a few years ago with my partner and son. When I returned home, I
went to the library and spent some time doing research through a number
of French cookbooks and online. After a few "not quite right" attempts, I
created this French Apple Cake recipe, which has quickly become a
classic in our home.
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 5 organic apples (if you can, choose 3-4 different kinds; at least a couple on the more tart side)
- Juice of one medium sized lemon
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons quality dark rum
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation
The Cake Preparations:
Center a rack in the
oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter an 9-inch
springform pan and cut out parchment paper to place on the bottom of
the pan.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl.
Peel
apples and cut in half with cores removed. Cut the apples into 1/4-inch
thick slices. Toss the lemon juice with the apple slices.
Beat the eggs with a whisk until they are light and foamy.
Pour in the sugar and whisk for two minutes
until creamy. Stir in the dark rum and vanilla. Incorporate half the
flour then add half the melted butter, followed by the rest of the flour
and finally the remaining butter, mixing gently after each addition so
that you have a rather thick batter. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold
in the apples, turning the fruit gently so that it's all coated with
batter. Scrape the mix into the pan and poke it around a little with the
spatula so that is relatively level on top. Place in oven for 25
minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the streusel topping: cut the
cold butter into small pieces and add to the combined sugars, cinnamon
and flour mixture. Mash into crumbly bits with a fork. After the first
25 minutes, take the baking cake out of the oven and evenly spread
streusel mixture on top of the cake batter. Do this process quickly,
making sure the door to the oven doesn't remain open long.
Slide
the pan back into the oven and bake for another 35 to 50 minutes, or
until top is golden and the top is fairly firm when pressed upon.
Cool for about 10 minutes and then run a sharp
knife along the edge of the cake, release the side portion of the
springform pan and keep the cake on the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a
cooling rack and let rest for at least 5 more minutes before cutting to
serve.
Serving:
The cake can be
served warm or at room temperature, with or without a little softly
whipped, barely sweetened heavy cream or a spoonful of ice cream.
Vanilla, pumpkin or cardamom ice cream would all make a perfect pairing.
Storing:
The
cake will keep for about 2 days at room temperature. Don’t put it into
the refrigerator as it will dry out quickly. If the cake doesn’t
disappear in the first day, it's best not to cover it with a glass lid
or tinfoil. Simply press a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper against
the cut surfaces.
source: about.com
