Apple picking is one of those quintessential fall activities that I have happily embraced since moving to Canada. And of course the first thing I do when I come home with a big bag of fresh apples is to bake an apple cake! I already have a more classic, nonna-style torta di mele on the blog, but this time I wanted to try something a little different.
The result sits somewhere between a traditional Italian apple cake and a British apple pudding: very moist, soft and absolutely packed with apples. There is almost as much fruit as cake, which gives it a wonderfully tender, almost custardy texture. For baking, choose apples that hold their shape and have a good balance of sweetness and acidity, like Granny Smith, Golden or the early ripening Sunrise variety I used to this particular cake.
It is delicious slightly warm, but just as good at room temperature for breakfast, merenda or dessert.
INGREDIENTS
150 g unsalted butter, softened
150 g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup or rum (or 1 tsp of imitation rum extract)
Pinch of salt
Zest of 1 lemon + some jiuce for the top
3 eggs
170 g plain yogurt
280 g all-purpose flour
16 gr baking powder or a pack of Lievito Bertolini
1 kg/1.2 kg Apples
Brown sugar, for sprinkling
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C (static). Line the bottom of a 26 cm / 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper and lightly butter the sides.
Beat the softened butter with the sugar, vanilla, salt and lemon zest until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the yogurt and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and baking powder and mix just until you have a smooth batter.
Cut most of the apples into medium sized, irregular chunks and reserve one apple to slice more thinly for decorating the top.
Fold the chopped apples into the batter. At this point the mixture will look very fruit-heavy — that is exactly what you want and what gives this cake its particularly moist texture.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and level the surface. Arrange the reserved apple slices over the top, pressing them slightly into the batter and sprinkle lightly with brown sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Bake for about 55–60 minutes, or until the cake is deeply golden and the centre is set. Because of the large amount of fruit, the inside will remain quite moist; a skewer inserted into the centre should show cooked batter, but it does not need to come out completely dry.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10–15 minutes, then remove the sides of the springform. Allow it to cool until just warm or at room temperature before serving.
NOTE: This is intentionally a very moist cake. If you prefer a more traditional, lighter apple cake, try my Torta di mele di Nonna Mirella