Apple Cake from the Catskills
Source: Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 121.
Well, I blundered a bit on this recipe but it did not affect the deliciousness of the cake. I was getting ready to put the batter in the pan and I realized that I had not used the reserved sugar and spice mixture. I quickly looked over the recipe but could find no mention of what to do with the reserved sugar mix. Thinking there was a mistake, I just added the sugar mixture to the batter and mixed it in. Sloppiness on my part, I confess, because after I looked at the recipe a third time, there it was - the sugar mix was supposed to have been sprinkled over the layer of apples in the pan. Oh well, like I said, the cake was wonderful anyway. This does bring up an important step - read the entire recipe before you begin. I read the recipe about a week before I made it and should have re-read the thing before starting.
I used Granny Smith apples and brandy for the recipe (you can use any tart apple and instead of brandy - Calvados, applejack or apple juice).
3 cups sifted unbleached flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 3/4 (5-6 medium-sized) tart apples
4 large eggs
1 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup Calvados, applejack, brandy or apple juice
2 oz. walnuts, cut into medium-sized pieces
1/2 cup raisins
Confectioners sugar (to sprinkle on top before serving)
Preheat the oven to 350. Use a large Bundt pan or a tube pan (with 13-14 cup capacity). Butter the pan and dust it with fine bread crumbs.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.
Peel and core the apples and cut them into small pieces.
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| Mix 1/3 cup of the sugar (reserving the remaining 2 cups) with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. |
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| Beat the eggs in the mixer. Beat in the oil, vanilla and brandy. |
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| Add the 2 cups of plain sugar. |
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| On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients until smooth. |
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| Pour half of the batter (about 2 cups) into the pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with half of the walnuts, raisins, apples and cinnamon sugar. |
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Repeat with the remaining batter, walnuts, raisins, apples and cinnamon sugar. |
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| Cover the pan tightly with foil. |
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| Bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for another hour. Cover the pan loosely with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning. (The recipe says to bake for 1 hour and 40-50 minutes - this is way too long!). Check the cake with a tester - it will be done with the tester comes out clean. |
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| Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then
cover with a flat plate and flip it to remove. Let cool completely and
sprinkle with confectioners sugar. |
Comments
I am having a beast of a time finding a bundt pan with the required 13-14 Cup capacity as directed by Maida for the Apple cake. I have several that hold 10 cups (to the brim). Can you tell me exactly what pan you used for this cake, perhaps with measurements?
Thanks in advance, Phillip. Joanne
In any case, I eventually ended up shelling out $28.50 for the Nordic Ware Bundt "Anniversary Pan--for 10-15 cup cakes" and it arrived yesterday. It looks gigantic and will have its maiden voyage tomorrow on the apple cake. Thanks so much for your help. I'll keep you posted.
Okay, now let's get to the "What an Idiot!" part: Do you know how many times I read this recipe prior to launching into it this morning!?!? Well, let's say Plenty!
HOWEVER,as I was doing the layering, I inadvertently (AKA, stoopidly -- Yep, I KNOW I misspelled it, but it's for dramatic effect!)put in TWO layers of the nuts/raisins/apples/cinn sugar so I ended up with a final layer of batter---and boy, does it smell good what with the Calvados!--once I discovered my error I kind of swirled the final layer and the apppley stuff. It's in with it's steaming lid right now. Still wagering it will/might taste good. Fingers crossed. #:) Hope your day goes better than mine so far!
I'm not certain if I can include a photo with this, but I will try later. In spite of my goofs, the cake came out of the pan like a dream and looked like one as well---plus the house smelled glorious.
We loved, in spite of the 2+ cups of sugar (WOW!), that this cake was NOT overly sweet and the texture of it seemed really great. We went to a nearby apple orchard and used a local favorite (Haraldson)for the apples and Calvados for the boozy inclusion. (The batter smelled delicious!)
That said, I would say this cake is NOT one of Maida's most stellar triumphs...perhaps I should have made something chocolate instead :) Here, however, is the biggest issue, and I am trying to figure out if it was due to overbaking, too high a baking temp. OR the surface of the new pan. One didn't require a buzz saw for cutting, but I would characterize the outside of the cake as having a "hard" (for lack of a better term) crust or surface. It might also result from having buttered (as opposed to spraying) the pan. It did NOT stop it from having been consumed, but it is interesting. Any thoughts welcome.