Looking for something new or just a twist on something old? Let’s try this tasty apple cake that’s always bold!

How many times have we seen a cartoon character feeling an irresistible urge to levitate towards a freshly baked apple pie? Probably one too many times that we have second thoughts on such nonsense behavior could occur to us in real life, let alone on a daily basis.

What’s in the air?

Sure, we can’t really levitate through thin air pulled by the intoxicatingly sweet smell of freshly baked goods. We have to accept that cinematography has its own way of expressing feelings on the screen.

Yet, many of us can relate to such scenes whoever has tried any kind of diet but fall through the cracks. The helpless levitation around our own body, while it is binging uncontrollably on an unreasonably big piece of cake or several chocolate bars, is spookily similar to what we can see on the screen.

What’s inside our cake?

Of course, in the cartoons the dawning disappointment of the returning reason is not displayed because who would care to see an anguished mouse ashamed by eating a whole cake alone, trying to make up with a cat who was beaten up because of him.

That would be a total show ruiner, yet that is exactly what’s happening in real life, except that we are both, the cat and the mouse.

It’s a pity that the reasoning cat part of our brain is unable to cope with the instinctive mouse once it sticks its nose out for a tasty treat, but with careful planning, we can stay in control of our action and avoid being kicked around.

Can we resist?

Planning ahead is as crucial a step in every lifestyle change as it is with cooking. We can make anything just by winging it and we can even have great results sometimes. The problem is with the other times when we don’t have great results and don’t have any idea what went wrong.

Instead of relying on blind luck and feelings, the most effective way of carrying out lifestyle changes is to follow a plan so if any undesired thing happens, we will know what to change in order to not be happening again.

It’s much like making apple cakes by just throwing everything together in a bowl in the hope of something edible might come out of it. While it’s a viable method, in many times especially with the French Apple cake, there are outcomes we aren’t too proud of.

What is apple cake?

Apple cakes are cakes with apple, as simple as that. Curiously though, apples and cakes can be mixed in so many ways and the results can be strikingly different each time.

Apple pies are a well-known type of apple cakes across the US, yet over the pond, they aren’t part of the everyday life as apple crumbles in the UK or something totally different in France, Germany or anywhere else.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there is a huge variety of apple cakes out there if we just think about that the apple pie and the apple turnover have the exact same ingredients, yet they are totally different type of desserts, due to the applied preparation process.

What’s in apple cake?

If we are allowed to change the ingredients a little bit, no wonder we get endless possibilities, yet the same cake. Most apple cakes have similar characteristics to bond them to the same family. Of course, this is because we like those ingredients together.

Cinnamon and nutmeg are common flavoring agents in apple cakes so it is flour to make the batter or dough for the base. Of course, sugar or some sort of sweetener is still added generously by those who are still on sugar. Yet, apple cakes can be surprisingly sweet on their own for those who kicked sugar from their life so additional sweetener is rarely required.

Ingredients

Beginner

2 cup / 250g Flour
2 teaspoon / 8g Baking powder
1 teaspoon / 5g Salt
4 pieces / 200g Eggs
2 teaspoon / 10ml Vanilla
2 sticks / 200g Butter (room temperature)
2 piece / 300g Apple (diced)
Optional
- Sweetener to taste

Kitchen equipment

Ø9¾” / Ø24cm Spring baking form

Advanced

Filling

6 lbs / 2.7kg Apple
1 piece Lemon juice
2 teaspoon / 5g Cinnamon
3½ oz / 100g Walnut (ground) (optional)

Base

4 cups / 500g Flour
1 tablespoon / 20g Baking powder (check instructions on packaging)
2 sticks / 250g Butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon / 5ml Vanilla
1 teaspoon / 5g Salt
2 pieces / 100g Eggs
⅓ cup / 80ml Sour cream

Topping

2 Egg yolk
½ teaspoon / 2.5ml Vanilla

Kitchen equipment

14″ x 10″ / 35cm x 26cm Baking tray

How to make Apple cake

Beginner

Measure flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, vanilla and room temperature butter into a mixing bowl. The butter needs to be soft, otherwise we’ll have a hard time working it together with the dough. Don’t forget the optional sweetener if any used.
Whisk everything together with an electric mixer. The dough is a bit on the tough side. Mix in a bit of milk if it’s too hard to handle.
Dice the apple into ½” / 1cm sized cubes and fold it in the dough with a spatula.
Transfer the batter into the baking form. Flatten the top with a wet spatula or a spoon.
Put the apple cake into the middle rack of a 360°F / 180°C preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes. For serving, confectioners sugar is used to drizzle on top but if we are off sugar, it won’t be missing.

Enjoy!

Advanced

Filling

Grate the apples. Some like to peel them, others don’t. Hold the apples by the core and grate it around the core.
Remove excess juice by pressing the apples with our hands and place them into another bowl. The juice is tasty and keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. Mix lemon juice (Lemon keeps the apple from browning) and cinnamon with the shredded apple. Keep it in the fridge until needed.

Base

Mix flour and baking powder together. Work in butter, vanilla, salt and sour cream by hand. Butter needs to be soft.
Divide the dough into two equal parts.
On a floured surface, roll one of the dough out to the size of the baking tray.
Flour the rolled out dough. Transfer the dough to the baking tray by loosely rolling it up onto the rolling pin and rolling it off over the tray (advanced technique).
Correct any mistakes by cutting excess dough then add it to the missing places. Poke holes into the dough by a fork. Roll out the other dough but wait until the filling is laid onto the first dough.

Assembly

Grind the walnut with a food processor if necessary then sprinkle it over the poked dough. Adding walnut is optional if on a diet just skip it.
Spread the shredded apple evenly over the walnut.
Transfer the second layer of dough onto the apple layer. Poke holes onto the dough. Make sure some of them goes through otherwise the steam of the apple can’t escape and may break the dough.

Topping

Whisk two egg yolks and a bit of vanilla. Brush the top of the apple cake with the egg wash.
Place the apple cake into the middle rack of a 360°F / 180°C preheated oven for 30 – 40 minutes until golden brown.