Honey-roasted apple cake
Claire Saffitz x Dessert Person · ♥ 7.2K likes · 252.7K views · 16 min video
Read about everyday cakes in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 225 g all-purpose flour
- 1¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 0.125 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 lb apples
Press a large piece of parchment into a 9-inch springform pan to catch the apple juices; it stays in for the cake.
Pan, parchment and mandolin
Without peeling, core the apples and slice them an eighth of an inch thick on a mandolin, palm on the food and fingers up and away; or slice by hand and punch out the cores with a small ring cutter.
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Layer about a quarter of the apples at a time in the pan, alternating with drizzles of the quarter cup of honey so all are coated; microwave the honey if crystallised. Finish with the rest of the honey and a tablespoon of olive oil.
Layering with honey and olive oil
Roast at 350, folding and stirring every 15 or 20 minutes, until very tender and some slices start to fall apart, about an hour to an hour and 15.
Set aside a dozen or so nice slices for the top; keep the apples, juices and parchment in the pan.
The roasted apples and their juices
- ½ cup demerara sugar
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.
Dry ingredients and warm spices
- 4 whole large eggs
Whisk the four eggs to break the yolks, add the half cup of demerara sugar and whisk vigorously about a minute until paler, airier and a little mousse-y.
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Stream in the olive oil slowly while whisking constantly so it emulsifies; then add two teaspoons each of vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar.
Whisk in the dry ingredients until smooth, a thick but pourable batter.
Vanilla, vinegar and the dry mix
Add all the roasted apples except the reserved slices, plus all their juices, and fold until the batter absorbs the juices.
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
Scrape into the parchment-lined pan and even the surface; arrange the reserved slices on top in clusters and sprinkle with two tablespoons of demerara sugar.
Topping with slices and demerara
Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester poked between the apple slices comes out clean; hers took about 50.
Cool in the pan about an hour, lift out, tear the parchment away and slice with a serrated knife. Keeps well wrapped on the counter and improves over time.