German Apple "Cake"
The cake for pie lovers.
This is really more of a pie with a larger, fluffier crust than a cake (hence the quotation marks). I first encountered a version of this recipe on Culinate where I was immediately smitten by the idea of a pie-ish cake, typically preferring the former to the latter myself. I made a few additions and baked it in a cast iron pan to bring it to what it is today. Its refined rustic-ness makes it comforting as a dessert and delightful as an afternoon snack with cheese and tea or coffee. Or a beer, really - try it! Serves 6 and can easily be doubled to serve 12.
1 cup flour - I like to use a blend of something like half rye or other whole grain and half all purpose
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon plus one pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup crème fraîche or yogurt, divided (optional)
3-4 medium apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Up to 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon allspice (or other warm spices such as cardamom, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon
Dash of apple brandy (optional)
Ice cream (optional)
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and butter. Work this mixture with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg and vanilla. Mix the eggs and vanilla slightly with a fork, then gradually whisk in the flour mixture. Work and knead until the mixture forms a coherent mass and is moist but not sticky. If sticky, add a little more flour and knead it in. If too dry, incorporate crème fraîche, yogurt (milk or water also works) one tablespoon at a time (up to 2 tablespoons) until dough is moist.
Cut the dough in half and roll each half into a ball. Flatten the halves a bit, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to chill for 30-45 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch cast iron pan. Core and slice the apples (they can be peeled, I like to keep the peels on), then toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice, brown sugar (more or less, depending on apples and preference), allspice, pinch of salt, and optional dash of apple brandy.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 5 minutes prior to rolling. Sprinkle one dough ball with flour, flip, sprinkle with more flour, and roll out on plastic wrap until is will fit snugly into the bottom of the cast iron pan. The dough can be a bit sticky, so add a little extra flour as needed. Lifting the plastic wrap, invert it into the cast iron pan.
Pile the apple mixture on the dough and rearrange apples to minimize large pockets of air. Roll out the remaining dough as you did before, but a little larger than first (so it can fit over top of apples) and place it over the apples by inverting the plastic wrap as you did the previous time. If the dough breaks, don't worry - just press it back together.
Bake the cake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and your house smells marvelous.
Serve warm, with crème fraîche or ice cream and mint garnish if desired. Also great in the afternoon with cheese.
This German apple cake pairs wonderfully with cold apple brandy/calvados.
Cardamom and Brown Butter Nectarine Tart
Worth it for the smell alone.
“Caution: Production of this dessert may lead to a decrease in productivity related to ridiculously delicious kitchen smells as evidenced by inability to focus on anything else.”
I’m a sucker for cardamom, browned butter, and stone fruit, so it’s no surprise that this dessert really does it for me. Usually I make crusts with cold diced butter for better flakiness, but the melted butter in this tart crust makes for a very crunchy, more caramelized flavor and texture that’s great with the fruit filling. Using half almond meal in the crust produces great flavor and texture, but the crust falls apart a bit more easily. Amp up the cardamom amount for more intensely cardamommy flavor if you desire.
“Try making the crust with 1/2 cup almond meal and 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour for a deliciously nutty twist. ”
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon plus one pinch salt
1 large egg
10 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground with mortar and pestle (green pods are the freshest and most flavorful)
3 large nectarines, sliced
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix melted butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and vanilla. Add 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt and stir until incorporated.
Transfer dough to a 9” tart pan (preferably with removable bottom). Using fingertips, press dough evenly onto sides and bottom of pan. (I use a 1/3 cup measurer to smooth the crust out)
Bake crust until golden, about 18 minutes (crust will puff slightly while baking). Transfer crust to rack and cool in pan.
Whisk together remaining 1/4 cup sugar, egg, and pinch of salt. Add 2 tablespoons flour and whisk until smooth.
Cook remaining 1/4 cup butter and ground cardamom in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until deep nutty brown (do not burn), stirring often, about 6 minutes.
Immediately pour browned butter into glass measuring cup.
Gradually whisk browned butter into sugar-egg mixture, until well blended.
Arrange fruit in concentric circles in bottom of cooled crust. Carefully pour browned butter mixture evenly over the top and bake until filling is golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes.
Serve at room temperature or cold, with or without a creamy side such as ice cream, creme fraîche, or whipped cream.