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Prep time
30 minutes
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Cook time
45 minutes
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Serves
8
Author Notes
This cake is reminiscient of one that my neighbor shared with me years ago. We used to visit each other, each bearing wedges of warm cake or pie, and chat for hours over mugs of strong black coffee. The base of this cake stays soft and tender from the apples, while the outside develops an almost caramelized, craggy crust that is cookie-like in texture. Whenever I make this cake, I remember crossing through our sun-dappled backyards as summer transitioned into autumn, and the stories my neighbor would tell me about baking through the seasons in Germany. —Laura Edgerton
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Ingredients
- For the apples:
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4
sour apples (such as Granny Smith), washed, peeled, cored, and chopped
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The zest of 1 medium lemon
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2 tablespoons
lemon juice, or the juice from half the lemon
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2 tablespoons
granulated cane sugar
- For the crust/streusel topping, and mascarpone cream:
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2 1/4 cups
all purpose unbleached flour
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1/2 cup
granulated cane sugar
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1/2 cup
light brown sugar, lightly packed
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1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon
coarse kosher salt
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1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon (I like to be generous)
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1/8 teaspoon
ground cloves
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1 pinch
ground nutmeg
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8 tablespoons
melted unsalted butter, cooled
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2
large eggs
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1 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
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4 tablespoons
sour cream
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4 tablespoons
mascarpone cheese, softened
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1 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
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4 teaspoons
light brown sugar
Directions
- For the apples:
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In a medium bowl, stir together the chopped apples, lemon zest, juice, and sugar. Set aside.
- For the crust/streusel topping, and mascarpone cream:
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Use a spatula to gently combine all of the wet ingredients into the dry. The mixture will be very thick.
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Preheat the oven to 350*F. Coat a 10-inch round cake pan generously with nonstick spray and lightly dust the pan with flour, tapping out any excess. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet.
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Use your fingers to press about two-thirds of the dough into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan, creating a little lip all around the edge. Pour the apple mixture evenly on top of the dough. Crumble the remaining third of the dough over the apples, creating streusel crumbles.
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Bake 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan around halfway through the baking time, until the apples are toothpick-tender, and the streusel topping is a deep golden brown. Let cool in the pan until easy to handle, then carefully invert onto a serving plate.
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Top each slice with Brown Sugar Mascarpone Cream. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and light brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
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