Spiced Apple Cake

WILLIAMS-SONOMA “desserts: new healthy kitchen: colorful recipes for health & well-being” (Page 41)

“Green is the color of growing things. The flavor of green fruits is light, fresh, and clean, and their texture is crisp and juicy. They are naturally good for you, and since so many fruits are green, you’ll find a good variety available year-round, not just a brief summertime explosion. And green tea and green herbs both share the antioxidant benefits of green fruits, and make interesting additions to a dessert.” – Williams-Sonoma ‘desserts’,

            As I was going through the recipes in Williams-Sonoma “desserts,” I was drawn to the ‘spiced apple cake’ on page 41. This cake seemed multifunctional as a dessert, breakfast, and savory snack. Although the cake lacked aesthetic appeal (given it’s brown and beige colorings), I knew that it would be a popular addition to a thanksgiving feast.
            I have never been fond of apples as a snack. They are almost always a good idea, but brown in bags and overwhelm in acidity. In fact, I think that the last time that I cut up an apple on my own accord (before this recipe of course) was two-to-three years ago. The recipe calls for three green apples. This is a rather ambiguous listing, but gives you the creativity to steer clear of granny smith and to venture into the golden delicious family if you choose to do so. I stuck with granny smith apples in hopes that the 1-cup of sugar would balance out the acidity.
           Make sure that your oven is preheated to 325 at this point because the baking time is just under an hour for a springy final product. The apple was cored and sliced, with the skin still attached.

            I then whisked the sugar, ½ cup butter and one egg on medium high. When whisking butter and sugar together, it is best to add the egg last. Also, pull the butter from the side of the bowl with a spatula to avoid excess chunking. Stir in half of your apple slices.

            Flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon; grated nutmeg, allspice, and salt were blended together in a second bowl. Word to the wise: as a chef, I commonly mistake the role of a baker vs. cook. Bakers are meticulous in their measurements. One tablespoon for a baker equals one-leveled-measurement in a clean tablespoon. For a cook, this equals one amount that resembles a tablespoon in whatever spoon is available at the time – or measured with their fingers. As a result, I have made numerous batches of cookies that taste like cleaning supplies. Please, measure your baking soda.

            Although the recipe did not instruct me to, I switched my whisk for a paddle attachment. The combination of raisins and additional apple slices seemed like a nightmare to clean out of my whisk. Also, their language switched from “whisk” to “stir”. I mixed the flour mix, raisins, and butter. Then, press half of this mixture into a greased pan. Layer mixture with fanned apples, and top with the remaining half.

            I used my last apple slices to form a fan-design on top (as the recipe shows) and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

          
            I ran into a problem following 45 minutes in the oven. The apples did not appear to be browning. I remedied this by spraying a thin layer of PAM on the cake. Although I am almost completely against using processed, canned ingredients – I was concerned that the cake would become dry. Almost immediately after doing so, the apples began to brown. If any readers were going to try this remedy, I would suggest waiting until the final ten minutes to do so. Why? Because after five minutes… my apples burned on the tips.

          
            I hid the burnt tips by sprinkling a generous layer of confectioners sugar on top and sliced into wedges to serve.

            Twelve out of twelve guests enjoyed this cake… and the dropped apple slices were thoroughly enjoyed by my six-month puppy!

            In summary, this recipe is easy and straightforward. Arranging the apple slices on top is somewhat tedious, but produces an appealing, textured finish. I would suggest serving this cake with some whipped cream, crème fraiche, or rich vanilla iced cream. Although the photo provided in the recipe appears to be 1/6^th of the cake, it is dense and could be cut into 8-10 slices. The recipe does not mention warming the cake, but due to the nature of the texture, I would suggest pre-heating right before service.

            Williams-Sonoma has written another east-to-follow method and includes easily accessed ingredients. They have done their best to make a brown-beige, dense apple cake appear aesthetically beautiful.

*This book can be found and purchased at: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/0743278607

*Tasting Notes: The layered apples create a great break in the middle of two dense layers. The cooking time is accurately aligned with the apples that are mixed into the final product, and there is plenty of moisture throughout. This would be best served with a meal that does not incorporate a large number of carbohydrates.

Written By and Photo Credit: Jane Phillips