I love all things apple. Sautéed apples, baked apples, apple crumble, apple pie, apple tart, apple cake. All things apple. But this Alsatian apple cake has to be one of the best apple things I have ever tasted. It combines a shortbread crust with beautiful vanilla bean flecked custard, all dotted with wonderfully tart Granny Smith apples. Crème brûlée meets apple tart meets shortbread cookie. It’s genius.
This isn’t a terribly sweet cake, and that is precisely what makes it so wonderful. It could be served at brunch with coffee or at afternoon tea or after a wonderful dinner. For dessert, I like to pair it with homemade caramel sauce because really, homemade caramel sauce needs no excuse. It would also pair nicely with homemade whipped cream, crème anglaise, or ice cream.
This is a European recipe so it requires the use of a kitchen scale, but really, I prefer using a kitchen scale when baking for precision purposes.
Alsatian Apple Cake
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the Crust
200 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
30 grams granulated sugar
105 grams unsalted butter (I use a European butter like Plugra, but American butter will do)
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. water
For the Apples
3-4 Granny Smith apples, depending on size
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the Custard
100 grams granulated sugar
3 large eggs
125 mL heavy cream (a smidge more than half a cup)
Seeds from one vanilla bean
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, butter, egg yolk, sugar, salt, and water. Mix until the ingredients come together. It will be crumbly. Use a rubber spatula to pat together into a disc. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Score the apples lengthwise almost cutting through to make slices, but leaving the quarters intact. Mix with the lemon juice in a medium size bowl.
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Roll the dough into an 11-inch round and lay it in a 9-inch spring form pan. Pierce the dough with a fork in several places. Arrange the apples on top of the dough to form an outer ring of apples with one of the apple quarters in the center. Bake for 25-28 minutes until the apples have started to soften nicely.
Meanwhile, beat together the sugar and eggs. Add the cream, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth and well incorporated. Pour over the apple cake and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until the custard is set and slightly browned on top.
Let cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.
Adapted from Hafentelegramm
This isn’t a terribly sweet cake, and that is precisely what makes it so wonderful. It could be served at brunch with coffee or at afternoon tea or after a wonderful dinner. For dessert, I like to pair it with homemade caramel sauce because really, homemade caramel sauce needs no excuse. It would also pair nicely with homemade whipped cream, crème anglaise, or ice cream.
This is a European recipe so it requires the use of a kitchen scale, but really, I prefer using a kitchen scale when baking for precision purposes.
Alsatian Apple Cake
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the Crust
200 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
30 grams granulated sugar
105 grams unsalted butter (I use a European butter like Plugra, but American butter will do)
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. water
For the Apples
3-4 Granny Smith apples, depending on size
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the Custard
100 grams granulated sugar
3 large eggs
125 mL heavy cream (a smidge more than half a cup)
Seeds from one vanilla bean
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, butter, egg yolk, sugar, salt, and water. Mix until the ingredients come together. It will be crumbly. Use a rubber spatula to pat together into a disc. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Score the apples lengthwise almost cutting through to make slices, but leaving the quarters intact. Mix with the lemon juice in a medium size bowl.
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Roll the dough into an 11-inch round and lay it in a 9-inch spring form pan. Pierce the dough with a fork in several places. Arrange the apples on top of the dough to form an outer ring of apples with one of the apple quarters in the center. Bake for 25-28 minutes until the apples have started to soften nicely.
Meanwhile, beat together the sugar and eggs. Add the cream, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth and well incorporated. Pour over the apple cake and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until the custard is set and slightly browned on top.
Let cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.
Adapted from Hafentelegramm