Author Notes
This recipe I adapted very slightly from “Rosh Hashanah Apple Cake” by zahavah which is posted here on food52 website, and as many times I do, gave it my own spin. The base of zahavah’s cake is so easy and versatile that you cannot go wrong with any additions or makeovers.
Here is my recipe, where I used two different herbal teas: 1. “Celestial seasonings” Cinnamon apple spice, 2. “Ahmad Tea London” Rooibos Earl Grey for my Tea-apple compote. —Kukla
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Ingredients
- For the tea-apple compote
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• 2 Cinnamon apple spice herbal tea bags
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• 2 Rooibos earl grey herbal tea bags
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• 1/4 cup honey (preferably orange blossom)
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• Pinch of salt
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• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
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• 3 wide strips orange peel
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• 1/2 cup cognac or brandy
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• 4 firm large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 12 wedges
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• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- For cake batter
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• 1 cup flour +2 tablespoons corn or potato starch
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• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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• 1 teaspoon baking powder
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• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
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• 2 extra large eggs at room temperature
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• 1/2 cup sugar
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• 1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
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• 1 teaspoon vanilla
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• 2 teaspoons orange zest
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• 1/2 cup canola oil
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• About 1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar
Directions
- For the tea-apple compote
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Steep all 4 tea bags in 1 cup boiling water, 20 minutes. Squeeze out and discard the tea bags. Pour the tea to a saucepan. Add the honey, salt, vanilla seeds and pod, orange peel and cognac and cook over medium heat until syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes.
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Add the apples and butter; reduce the heat to low; simmer uncovered about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
- For cake batter
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10" glass baking dish.
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Sift together flour, starch, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. In another bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, sour cream, vanilla and orange zest.
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Slowly whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold oil into batter, making sure it’s all incorporated.
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Add about 3/4 of the apple compote to the batter and mix it in. Then pour into the prepared baking dish and spread the batter evenly with a spatula. Arrange the remaining apple slices on the top of the batter. Sprinkle the cake with Turbinado sugar and bake for 1 hour or until deep golden brown and the top has a crunchy crust.
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Cool in the baking dish on wire rack. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream or with just a cup of your favorite tea.
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