Momofuku Apple cake?

Has anyone made, or had the original the Momofuku Apple cake recipe? How did you like it, and all of the components- is there anything you would do different? Ive been asked to make a wedding shower cake for people who love apple pie and of course this is the first recipe that I thought of. I am considering using a reliable spice cake recipe I know and love instead of the original, but keeping the other components.. Thoughts?

Jennifer W
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7 Comments

TheFritschKitchen January 12, 2018
Ok - here's what I can tell you from memory. I can follow up later once I'm back home and can take a look at the notes I made in the book (I'm a chronic cookbook comment writer, haha)

I loved the naked sides of the cake and wanted them exposed, so I bought an adjustable cake ring from amazon (This one: https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Adjustable-Round-Mousse/dp/B01LXLCI46/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515767354&sr=sr-1&keywords=adjustable+cake+ring). I doubled the cake recipe and baked in two quarter sheet pans. I used the ring to cut out the circles (plenty of yummy cake scraps left over!!) I then assembled with the acetate strips. It was no harder doing it for the 10 inch then it was for the 6 inch, if anything, it was a bit easier to get in there and spread things evenly.

I doubled the liquid cheesecake recipe and baked it in a glass 6 cup pyrex (Note: I've never been brave enough to line my pyrex with plastic wrap as suggested in the recipe. Seems to work just fine to just bake it in the glass. Not even 100% sure what the wrap would add...)

Definitely need to freeze the entire cake, at least overnight. But, it traveled so well while frozen! Probably better than a fresh made cake. I took it right from my freezer to a cooler and then we had to drive ~2 hours to my friend's wedding shower. It finished thawing at the shower (although, if I could have been there a day early, I would have loved to thaw it in the fridge for a day). It was cold in the center, but not frozen. I did stick it with a skewer in the middle to see if it was still frozen, but it was fine :) So, my suggestion is to freeze and travel with it frozen. Once your at the party place, then undo the cake ring and acetate. (How far are you traveling? If it's a short distance, you may need to thaw beforehand, but I don't think that would really be a problem either. The cake ring and acetate really do a good job of holding everything together and the "liquid" cheesecake is pretty solid, especially when it's cold)

That's all I can think of right now... But if you have specific questions, I would be happy to answer!
 
Jennifer W. February 6, 2018
All EXTREMELY helpful tips! I actually have that same adjustable ring saved to buy when I found an excuse!:) I think you have settled a lot of my fears about transporting so Ive decided to just go with all of the original instructions for the cake. But I will be making a larger version as you did for a crowd. So I think the only other question I have is Did you double the recipe to make a 10" and do you remember how high it was? Do you think it would be crazy talk to put a cardboard circle in the very middle (adding a 4th cake layer to make it even) so that it can be cut into more manageable size pieces for a shower? Unfortunately I wont be at the event to serve it so I need to make it as easy as possible so the cake doesnt get completely hacked up:(
 
TheFritschKitchen February 7, 2018
I doubled the cake recipe and baked it in two separate pans. Doubled the liquid cheesecake and baked it in the same pan. Also doubled the apple pie filling. I did not double the pie crumb, the cider soak or the frosting and there was plenty.

With the normal 3 layers, it was about 6 inches high, give or take, the same height as the 6" cake in the book. For serving, I just cut it into thin wedges and it worked great. 4 layers might be a bit of a monstrosity - that thing would be huge! And I think you would need to make more than double recipes for 4 layers at 10". Would love to see if you did go this way though!

Good luck!
 
Jennifer W. January 12, 2018
Nancy- you're right:) But this cake needs to be frozen ahead of time before cutting so assembly at the last minute wouldnt be possible. I suppose Im just being paranoid in my Central Florida weather that it would stay frozen in the core and completely melted along the edges:)
 
TheFritschKitchen January 11, 2018
I have made this cake 3 times!!! My husband is a huge lover of all things apple pie, so I made it for the first time for his birthday about a year ago, as written. Since then, I've made it 2 more times, actually scaled up to 10 inch round, instead of 6 inch (coincidentally for a wedding shower! And then again for my daughter's first birthday)

I LOVE the browned butter cake recipe, although not a fan of browning the butter in the microwave as suggested. The cake itself is not hard, and all the components can really be made in advance. I think it's great how it is, but by the third time, I made a few small changes: chopped the apples smaller for the apple filling, browned butter on the stove and not in the micro, and put more pie crumb in the layers instead of on top.

If you have any specific questions, I'm happy to answer them for you. I haven't delved much into the Milk cookbook, but I absolutely LOVE this recipe. Attached is a picture of the cake I made for my daughter's party, including her little extra "smash" cake that I made with the scraps!
 
Jennifer W. January 11, 2018
Sounds like you're the person I need to talk to!:) I would definitely be scaling up the size as well. Was your 10" version super scary or was it structurally sound enough for transport? The liquid cheesecake element concerns me- I dont want it turning into a mess when serving. Im also curious if you used the acetate collar method of construction for the larger version? Im considering just covering the sides with cream cheese frosting especially if I use regular round baking pans for the larger cake.
 
Nancy January 12, 2018
Jennifer W - seems a pity, with all the elements, to cover them up with a cream cheese frosting. Since all the parts can be made and held before assembly, maybe take them to the venue and - if possible - assemble there. In all its glory.
 
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