Ginger Apple Torte
And this is the cake out of the oven -- we made one mistake, which is that this time we forgot to sprinkle the last two tablespoons of sugar on top. Usually, the cake has a glossy top!
We have lots of measuring ahead of us! Lemon zest, molasses, rum, ginger, walnuts, vanilla, flour, baking soda, apple, turbinado sugar, light brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, ginger...
Amanda torments Sarah, our photographer, by bringing the dreaded green Palmolive bottle into the frame!
Makes sense to get the main measuring done first: the dry ingredients.
Merrill slices Honey Crisp apples.
To cook the apples, you first brown butter -- get it nice and nut brown!
Merrill sauted the apples for a bit....
then added some of the turbinado...
and then we discovered that the apples were stewing, not caramelizing. We had a serious huddle about the matter.
And made the executive decision to turn up the heat. We're geniuses! And we like our apples caramelized.
Merrill uses the edge of a teaspoon to peel the ginger skin.
Creaming the butter and light brown sugar. Make sure it gets super light in color -- this will tell you that air has been whipped into the mixture.
Goofing off about something. Or maybe just making weird faces again.
Who made this mess?!
The molasses seeped into the creamed butter. Cool right?
Then it curdles the mixture, but not to worry, it all comes together later.
We carefully pour the dry ingredients into the mixer.
This is the bottom layer of batter.
Then the apples go on top, followed by the rest of the batter.
Walnuts are the finishing touch.
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Author Notes: Thanksgiving desserts have to be able to be made ahead and not require much work for serving. After such a large meal, who wants to start cooking again? I think that’s why pies are such a popular Thanksgiving dessert. This torte is part gingerbread, part apple cake. (The gingerbread is a variation of Laurie Colwin's from Home Cooking. I used to bake it in a heart-shaped pan. ) Ginger is thought to aid digestion, so this is perfect for after Thanksgiving dinner. It can be made one-two days ahead, and the flavors will develop. - drbabs
- drbabs
Food52 Review: A fusion of gingerbread and apple cake, this recipe is our dream cake for fall -- layers of spiced batter sandwich tender caramelized apples and on top a coating of turbinado sugar melts to a sturdy, glassy crust. Eat this cake fresh, within a day, and make sure you caramelize the apples when sauteeing, so they get a little oomph! - A&M - A&M
Serves 6-8
- 3 large apples (I used Honeycrisp and Fuji.)
- 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter + ~2 TB butter + more for pan
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger (if you want more of a gingery kick; optional)
- 3/4 cups brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (I peeled a 2 inch piece and grated it with a microplane grater)
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 10 walnut halves
- Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9” springform pan. If you are concerned about your springform pan leaking, wrap the bottom with aluminum foil.
- Core and peel apples, and cut into thin slices. Melt ~2 TB of butter in saucepan and cook until it is lightly browned. Stir in apple slices until all slices are covered with browned butter. Sprinkle ~2 TB turbinado sugar over apples, and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, till apples are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger (if using) and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Beat in two eggs. Beat in lemon zest, ginger, molasses, rum, and vanilla extract. (The mixture will look curdled. It's OK.)
- Stir in the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring after each addition so the batter is thick and smooth. Fold in the milk and yogurt till batter is smooth and thoroughly combined.
- Scrape half the batter into the prepared springform pan. Cover with apple slices, and spread the other half of the batter over the apples. Smooth top with spatula. Place walnut halves on the top of the cake, and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar over the top of the cake.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake may slightly pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Transfer to a cooling rack. Run a knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it completely from the sides of the pan. Open the ring and remove it. If you want to remove the cake from the base of the springform pan, wait until it has cooled completely, then slide a long thin spatula between the cake and the base. Use a large spatula to then move it to a serving plate.
- Serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a blob of barely sweetened softly whipped cream.
- Your Best Non-Pie Thanksgiving Dessert Contest Winner!
Tags: breakfast, comfort food, Easy, Holidays, spicy
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5 months ago DAVILCHICK
I've made this several times and decided it was the perfect complimentary dessert to Amanda's Fudgie Rum Balls to close our xmas dinner. The problem was when I went to put the batter and apples in my 9" springform pan, it had disappeared. Instead I used an 8" x 8" square glass pan and it still turned out great. Same heat, same time, same everything. Just square instead of round. :)
5 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Wow, that's great. I'm so glad it worked for you.
5 months ago BavarianCook
I was initially drawn to this for the purpose of using up some extra apples and fresh ginger but boy, what a reward this was! An amazingly tasty cake that is a real comfort food! Thanks for a great recipe!
5 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for commenting.
6 months ago shs
Thanks- I rarely comment on recipes, but this was exceptional! The photo does not do it justice!
6 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Wow, thank you! I'm so glad you liked it.
6 months ago shs
Has anyone tried to freeze this cake? How does it hold up?
6 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I've never frozen it, but I think, well wrapped, it would hold up fine. You would not have the glossy crunchy top after freezing, though.
6 months ago ebzrob
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was AMAZING!!! Love the crunch of the turbinado sugar. I made some substitutions based on some of the comments (and what I had on hand) - used Grand Marnier in place of the rum and sour cream in place of the Greek yogurt. Thank you for the wonderful recipe - it was enjoyed by all!
6 months ago lapadia
I second ebzrob's comment! I Forgot to mention, yesterday, that I used Honey Greek yogurt...either way = delicious :)
6 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Thank you both so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. (looking forward to my oven being repaired so I can make it again....)
6 months ago lapadia
Hi drbabs! Great recipe enjoyed by all at, Happy Thanksgiving!!
6 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Hi lapadia! That thrills me. Happy Thanksgiving!
6 months ago phyllis
Just took my torte out of the oven for tomorrow's meal. It smells wonderful and I am so looking forward to eating it. I'll let you know how it is, but I expect it will be delicious.
6 months ago phyllis
As expected, drbabs, the cake was delicious. I read many of the comments and was a little skeptical, but I went ahead anyway. I should mention that I don't like to bake, especially with recipes that don't use weight measures. I'd rather cook a meal for 50 than bake. That being said, I do on occasion bake. After reading the comments, I decreased the amount of flour by 2 tbsps and I used 3/4 cup of buttermilk instead of the yogurt/milk combo. The cake was moist and delicious and several of my Thanksgiving guests said, as they took bites, 'this is delicious'. Thank you, drbabs!!
6 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Phyllis, thank you so much for letting me know that it worked for you. I'm glad you all enjoyed it. Happy Thanksgiving!
6 months ago pattycakes
Drbabs, I have certainly had the experience you're having now, where something that's perfect for me is deemed somewhat less by another...in fact, my husband is one of my worst critics. Thank you for your kind and open response. I'm going to post an apple cake that I love that's my go-to cake called Nobby Cake. It's a revision of a Farm Journal Cookbook recipe; I have found the old book that my mom had to be a goldmine of apple recipes. Since we live on an old farm with lots of mature apple trees, it's a natural. I think the idea of more molasses, etc., had to do with getting closer to the idea of gingerbread. Thanks for continuing the discussion! : )
6 months ago pattycakes
I should have said "go-to apple cake."
6 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Patty cakes, I feel your pain. My husband is one of my worst critics, too. Looking forward to seeing your apple cake recipe.
6 months ago pattycakes
Amanda, thanks for the clarification, and of course I recognize the difference between this and epicurious. I value your site because of what it represents, which is passionate amateur cooks. I was responding to what I perceived to be a criticism of the tone of my comment, which was not couched in the correct positive tone. However, as I said, I had big hopes for this cake, it took a lot of time to make, and it wasn't as good as I expected it to be given the language used to describe it. I also wondered about whether beginning bakers would have a success with it. Clearly everyone else did, or they didn't post about it. I will also add, on a positive note, that I live at 5000 ft. and the recipe works with no adjustment at this altitude!
6 months ago pattycakes
I would like to be writing that this cake lives up to the "dream cake for fall" label, but it does not. The concept is great, but the cake just isn't that good. In addition to that, it lacks the basic cake-making directions that those who are are not totally familiar with the process need. (All ingredients should be at room temperature; perhaps alternating wet and dry because there is no "folding" in of yogurt and milk at the end, they need to be beaten.) I imagine that upping the gingerbread component--molasses, ginger, etc., would make it more what I expected it would be.
6 months ago amanda
Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.
pattycakes, I'm sorry you didn't have a good experience with this cake but making suggestions for how to improve the recipe, rather than criticizing, would be more welcome -- and more in the collaborative spirit of our community. We fully tested this recipe and I've made it many times since because I like it so much. I like your idea of adding more molasses and ginger, and that would be an easy tweak. All of our cooks like feedback and it sounds like you're an experienced baker -- I hope you'll continue contributing, and remember that we're all in this together, and trying to eat well, share ideas, and become better cooks!
6 months ago pattycakes
When I re-read my comments, I can see why you characterize them as critical. However, I do say some specific things about how the cake could be improved, and I do think it's worthwhile to have comments that express other experiences. I value epicurious for that very reason: I can see the good with the bad reviews, and I can weigh them against each other. I do love this site, but my experience of this cake wasn't the wonderful one that others had. And, I am a recipe developer, and when I went through it, I wondered why the steps I mentioned (room temp eggs, milk, etc., and beating in milk and yogurt weren't mentioned.) Sorry you took it as criticizing rather than as a statement of my experience of the cake and the recipe.
6 months ago amanda
Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.
I'm glad you wrote back because I think this is a great conversation to have, and I appreciate your feedback. It's also great that you're a recipe developer, because your expertise is valuable, and we'd love to have more of it on the site. The key difference between Epicurious and Food52 is that Epicurious recipes come from professional test kitchens and are edited with style books specific to their publications. Our recipes come from all kinds of home cooks around the country. Some are professionals, some are bloggers, and some are just experienced and passionate home cooks. While our editorial team does clean up recipes for clarity, we don't edit heavily because value the voice of the writers, and want that to shine through, rather than standardizing every curated recipe. However, we of course want everyone to have a good experience with our curated recipes, so getting feedback for how to improve the make-up and instructions for a recipe is something that everyone wants. For instance, a note to bring the eggs, milk and yogurt to room temp is great. And offering this suggestion in a supportive way is all we ask. I know drbabs, the author of this recipe, and she is constantly working to improve her recipes, and I bet she'd be delighted to hear your expert feedback and make improvements to the recipe itself.
6 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Wow, what an interesting conversation. Pattycakes, thank you for commenting. And Amanda, thank you for your responses. This recipe was the result of a lot of trial and error on my part. (Fortunately I have lots of friends who are willing to put up with my baking experiments.) I'm not a professional baker--far from it--and I am constantly working to improve. The recipe is a bit complicated, and I have made it since and made it easier (like I use buttermilk instead of the yogurt and milk mixture if I happen to have it on hand). As for upping the molasses and ginger, i think that's entirely taste specific. I wanted to evoke gingerbread, but make it a dessert cake. I'm really sorry that you didn't like it; it is disappointing to make something that you think you will enjoy, and have it turn out not to your liking. If you make it again and are able to improve it, I'd love to know what you do. I make this cake frequently--it's become a signature dish--and i do find that it's a little bit different each time. In any event, I really appreciate your comments because I am continually working on my cooking and baking skills, and this really helps me.
6 months ago za'atar
This was the first recipe I've made from Food52 that didn't quite live up to my expectations. Followed the recipe exactly and for me it turned out a bit dry. Perhaps I'll give it another go soon.
6 months ago TheWimpyVegetarian
i for one would encourage you to give it another go. this has become one of my favorite, and oft used, recipes on this site. The only difference for me when I make it is that I always weigh the flour. I use 4.5 ounces per cup as my metric.
6 months ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Za'atar, I'm so sorry it didn't work well for you. I'm not sure why, but this is a recipe where you should avoid using low fat milk or yogurt. Also, as chez Suzanne says, be sure you're not overdoing it on the flour. I hope you make it again and that it works better next time.
about 1 year ago Three muchachos
This was delicious and easy to make. Turned out beautiful. It looks so nice when you serve it with the sliced apples in the middle. I watched your video clip also which I enjoyed. Great flavor, great recipe. Thanks
about 1 year ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Thanks for letting me know. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
over 1 year ago AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Made this last night and everyone loved it. It reminded me today (after the spice flavors, molasses, etc. had settled in) of my mother's applesauce cake. I scattered pecan pieces on top, as we had no walnuts. What a great idea, that crunchy sugar top! (I will surely steal that technique in due course.) ;o)
over 1 year ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I'm honored that you made this, and so glad that you all enjoyed it. I've done pecans on top, too, and I think it does make a difference. Thanks for letting me know!
over 1 year ago DAVILCHICK
drbabs, I asked you a question about this recipe a while ago about whether I had to use a paddle attachment or whether I could do it by hand. You said I could use a hand mixer but II never ended up making it back then. However, I ended up making it a couple of weeks ago and OMG, fannnnnnnnnnntastic. I had never really 'baked' before and I certainly had never made a torte but we were invited to a friend's house for a few days and everyone there was a foodie and the rule of the house is that everyone be in charge of an entire meal. It was a huge hit and now I have a little bit more confidence and will try to bake something else. Many, many thanks.
over 1 year ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Oh, I'm so glad it worked well for you!
over 1 year ago AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
P.S. Love that you can make this a few days ahead! Perfect. Just perfect!! ;o)
over 1 year ago BocaCindi
All I can say is Wow!! I just finished eating a piece while I was pulling up this site. LOVE FOOD52!! This torte is so incredibly delicious. I did three and a half apples, assorted varieties. Used Grand Marnier instead of the rum. Heaping teaspoon of cinnamon. Both fresh and ground ginger. One-quarter teaspoon of nutmeg. Will be making this many more times. Baked it for 50 minutes. Wonderful. Now I'm going to see if I can wrap it up for some more guests tomorrow. I'm not sure I can do it without having another sample -- just to make sure it's still okay from ten minutes ago. Thank you, drbabs. You did good.
over 1 year ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Why, thank you BocaCindi! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
over 1 year ago AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Making this on New Years Day, to serve with a big pot of soup and a salad -- another all-FOOD52 meal, I might add. Cannot wait! Close friends and neighbors have kids at Oregon and my younger son is at Wisconsin, so the Tournament of Roses will be particularly fun this year. ;o)
over 1 year ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Have fun! What soup and salad are you making? I want to do that for New Year's Day, too!
over 1 year ago Jenniferino
This was so delicious! It disappeared so quickly. I think my dad ate 1/4 of the torte by himself in one sitting. I get tired of all of the pumpkin pies and gingerbread cakes during the holidays. This is a great alternative and I love the layer of apples in the middle! Will definitely make this again and again :)
over 1 year ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I'm so glad you liked it (your dad, too)! Thanks for commenting!
over 1 year ago CentralCoastContessa
I've made this twice to rave reviews. A bounty of fall apples at the farmers market inspired me. I used about 5 apples instead of 3. Fresh ginger: but of course! Best topping so far is whipped cream/creme fraiche.
over 1 year ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I just saw this--thank you! I'm so happy you liked it.
over 1 year ago frankll
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. I was worried when the top looked well done after only 45 minutes of baking, but the inside was moist and delicious. I will definitely make this again! Thanks.
over 1 year ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know!