French Apple Cake

I’m not sure who gave me this recipe way back in 2012, but it must have come originally from Cooks Illustrated because it has way more science attached to it than I want to read. Cooks Illustrated has a way of making simple recipes like this one appear complicated, but in reality it turned out to be a breeze.

The whole idea of using a microwave to cook apples seems ridiculous, so if you don’t have one, don’t be put off by this recipe as I was. It is worth experimenting with different ways to soften the apples, and I would guess the same result could be achieved by steaming them or caramelizing them slightly.

Ingredients:

  • 11/2 lb cooking apples - cored, cut into 8 wedges, and sliced 1/8” thick crosswise

  • 1 TBS Calvados, brandy or rum

  • 1 tsp lemon juice

  • 1 cups plus 2 Tbs flour

  • 1 cup plus 1 Tbs sugar

  • 2 tsp baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1 large egg plus 2 large yolks

  • 1 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1 tsp vanilla


Directions:

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

  2. Grease a 9” spring-form pan, and place it on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

  3. Place the apple slices in a glass pie plate, cover, and microwave 3-4 minutes until the apples are pliable but not completely soft- they shouldn’t snap when you bend them. Toss the cooked apples with the brandy and lemon juice. Let them cool for 15 minutes.

  4. In a small bowl whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside the remaining 2 Tbs flour and 1 Tbs sugar for later.

  5. In a larger bowl, whisk the whole egg, oil, milk and vanilla together til smooth. Reserve the two egg yolks for later.

  6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and whisk until just combined.

  7. Remove 1 cup of batter, and put it in a bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the apples into it. Transfer this to the spring-form pan, and spread it evenly across the bottom.

  8. Add the remaining two egg yolks and two Tbs of flour into the remaining batter, and whisk to combine. Pour this over the apples and batter already in the pan, and spread it evenly to the edges.

  9. Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbs of sugar over the top. This makes a nice crispy layer on the top of the cake.

  10. Bake until the center of the cake is set and the top is golden brown, about 11/4 hours. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Let it cool 2-3 hours more before removing it from the pan and serving.