An Old-Fashioned Apple Spice Cake
As you cut into the meringue, it will crack. That's ok, and provides a dramatic presentation!
We fashioned a double boiler out of pots Amanda has, and used a kitchen towel to secure the top onto the bottom. We did it by hand, but if you have electric beaters, by ALL means, use them!
This was the beginning of the (long) meringue process. The egg whites, brown sugar, and water are dark and heavy.
Mid-beating. It took a while, even with two sets of arms doing the work. It wasn't a graceful process, but it got done!
Almost there, but still not holding a peak.
Perfect! The meringue was light and stiff, and totally delicious. Alone, this would make great cookies. Try not to eat it all before spreading it on the cake.
Amanda's trick for removing apple cores, using a melon baller!
Grating the apples, skin and all. We used Macoun apples, and they worked very well.
Beating together the butter and brown sugar. The key to most baked goods is effectively creaming these two ingredients together. A good rule of thumb? Beat until you think it's done, and then...
After adding the egg yolks, mix the rest by hand.
Amanda was in charge of smoothing the meringue over the cake batter. All of her compulsive tendencies were put to good use, and it was totally worth it.
The cake, just out of the oven. Almost too perfect to slice. Almost.
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Author Notes: I asked for this recipe about 45 years ago from one of my mother's friends when we lived on an Air Force Base in Okinawa. I had just begun to bake and the recipe is so easy that it was a success on my first try. With a few tweaks, I've been baking it ever since. Try to use a nice, flavorful apple like Granny Smith, Jonathan, MacIntosh, Rome or Paula Red. - betteirene
Food52 Review: Betteirene's recipe is like a cake with a snowcap. The bottom half is reminiscent of carrot cake, textured with grated apples, raisins and chopped nuts. The cake batter is dense and on top of it you spread a thick layer of brown sugar meringue. As you assemble it, you’ll be convinced of its imminent doom. Fear not! In the oven, the meringue toasts and the cake, protected by its meringue roof, retains its moisture, and the best part is the pudding-like layer that forms between them. The meringue needs to be beaten over a water bath, and we learned the hard way that you need hand-held beaters to do this -- whisking it by hand for 10 minutes over a pan of hot water is like running a marathon in heels. Also, we think that light brown sugar is the way to go for both the meringue and the cake.- A&M - A&M
Serves 6-8
For the Meringue:
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
For the Cake:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
- 2 large, meaty apples, cored and grated on the large holes of a box grater
- 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
- 2 cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour
- Position a rack in the middle level of oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9"x9" baking pan or casserole dish.
- To make the meringue, place the egg whites, brown sugar and water in the top of a double boiler. Put enough water in the bottom of the double boiler to touch the bottom of the top pot. Over high heat, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until peaks form, 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
- For the cake, beat together butter and brown sugar until fluffy; add egg yolks and blend well. By hand, stir in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, grated apples, walnuts and raisins. Fold in the flour, blending well but being careful to not overmix.
- Spoon batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Spread meringue evenly over the batter. Bake until top is crisp, about 45 minutes. If you serve it while warm, the meringue will crack when you cut it, but that's a good thing. If you want nice, neat uniform slices, serve the cake the next day.
- Your Best Apple Cake Contest Finalist!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Non-Pie Thanksgiving Dessert
Tags: apple, brown sugar, Easy, spices
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over 1 year ago linh
when i serve the cake it was still warm , everybody just loved it so much.
over 1 year ago Tokyo Yum
I have done this twice in two weeks, it is that good. But the second time, I replaced the apples with 3 very ripe bananas. Perfection!!!!
over 1 year ago Csweeney
I loved the story of this cake, and I wanted to like it, but I knew I should have turned back once I saw
How much sugar went intonit. If you dont like super-sweet things, this one is not for you.
over 1 year ago pvanhagenlcsw
This is a wonderful recipe and I am so glad I found it. I do not have a 9x9 pan so I used a round 9" spring form pan . It is fairly deep and good thing because the cake rose considerably.It took considerably longer than 45 minutes to cook but what a beauty and fabulous flavor.
over 1 year ago Drew Lorenc
First and foremost, DELICIOUS!!! This cake was divine! Now... the meringue, while very tasty, decided to expand significantly. Well beyond what I expected from the photo. Any suggestions on how to reduce the puffing of meringue? I'm thinking that I didn't beat the egg whites enough, or perhaps the heat was too low. Any ideas if that would impact it's growth in the oven? Thanks!
over 2 years ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I have been eyeing this recipe for a long time - yesterday I finally made it and it is SO GOOD! The meringue is a lot of fun to make, and the cake is just gorgeous ... it may make a Thanksgiving appearance too!
over 3 years ago kelleya
This cake is absolutely wonderful. It is easy to make and delicious both warm and the next day. I used Garnny Smith and they were perfect for this.
over 3 years ago Rhonda35
The meringue topping reminds me of one of my favorite apple cakes: Torta di Mele in Lynne Rossetto Kasper's "The Italian Country Table." I love the way the top crackles and splinters when you cut into it.
over 3 years ago nutritiontokitchen
Such a creative recipe! I love the brown sugar meringue layer on top.
over 3 years ago MrsWheelbarrow
Cathy is a trusted source on Pickling/Preserving.
I cannot wait to try this recipe. It looks fantastic.