Skip to main content

Raisin Cake with Apples

Raisin Cake with Apples
(Source: Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982. pg. 98.

This was a pleasant surprise and Michael and I both thought it was an outstanding cake. So good! 

It is described as a traditional Swedish coffee cake. I did not have a proper tart apple for it (she recommends Granny Smith or Golden Delicious) and used what I had, which were Envy apples. I then realized that I didn't have a pound of apples, so I was afraid there would not be enough. Therefore, I decided to make it in a smaller springform pan (7.5" instead of 9"). None of that mattered too much, as it was delicious. I do think, when I make it again, that I will try a more tart apple and use the larger pan.

I used golden raisins and I think they have a better flavor than dark raisins. I'm not sure if that makes a big difference. Whatever the case, this is a sublime cake.

1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 oz. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
Finely grated rind of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup light raisins (dark raisins may be substituted)

Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan and set aside (I used a smaller pan).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat the butter until smooth. Add the vanilla and then the sugar.


Add the eggs one at a time and beat for one minute after the last egg has been added.

Gradually add the sifted flour ingredients and beat until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add the lemon zest and the raisins.





Turn into the prepared pan and prepare the topping. 


Topping

2 large tart apples (about 1 lb.)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Confectioners sugar (to be sprinkled on top before serving)

Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut into 1/3 slices.

Whisk together the cinnamon and the sugar.

Coat the apple slices with the cinnamon and sugar mixture and place them at an angle, deep into the dough (I failed to adhere to this and placed mine horizontally). Place them as close together as possible. Any remaining slices can be cut to fill in the gaps.




Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry. (It took the entire 75 minutes for me).


Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan and invert onto the rack for cooling.

The cake can be served while still warm or after it cools. Before serving, sprinkle generously with confectioners sugar. 




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. viii. I made these brownies again a few days ago and they were just as good as ever. This time I made half with York Peppermint Patties and the other half with Andes mints. There wasn't a noticeable difference in taste. The ones with the Andes mints were pretty with the mint green color but the ones with Yorks are equally pretty. When Maida Heatter's first book (the above-mentioned title) won the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame Award in 1998, she accepted her award on stage and began to toss out these brownies to the audience. Everybody clamored for one and went wild. The original recipe came from a local deli in her area and did not include the mints (that recipe is available in the first edition of this book). She tinkered with the recipe and added the mints which do not melt during baking. I've been itching to ...
9 comments
Read more

Mulattoes

Mulattoes Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 199. Of the hundreds of Maida Heatter cookie recipes, this may be the most famous. These are chunky but soft, extremely chocolaty,  full of nuts and chocolate chips. Sinfully delicious! They are easy to make. The trickiest part may be the baking time. After making them numerous times, I have learned to only bake them 10 or 11 minutes at the most, then remove them and allow them to sit on the hot baking pan for about 5 minutes. They will be extremely soft to the touch but eventually they firm up nicely.  I just use my hand mixer for these. Although the recipe states that it makes 18 large cookies, I find that the yield is slightly higher, even when making them fairly large. I use a tablespoon scoop to form the cookies. 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 3 oz. (3/4 stick) butter 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking pow...
12 comments
Read more

Frozen Chocolate Mousse

Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 228. Here is a dessert sure to make any chocoholic swoon. Silky and decadent, this frozen mousse is like a rich chocolate ice cream. It is really easy to make - all the folding required will give you a workout but it is worth it! The crust can be made with crushed wafer cookies or you could even buy a ready-made crust. If doing your own, the instructions say to apply the crumbs around the sides of the pan (use a springform pan) but I did not do this - I just made a bottom layer. You will have to run a sharp knife around the pan before releasing the catch on the pan. The mousse is soft (even after freezing) and it will need to be put back in the freezer as soon as possible after serving. Maida Heatter recommends covering the mousse with either whipped cream, strawberries or chocolate leaves. I did not do either, it looks lovely without a topping. Crust 8 oz. choc...
5 comments
Read more