Fresh Apple Custard Cake

Are you looking for one more simple apple dessert? I wasn't, but when Serious Eats featured this apple cake in a review of Dorie Greenspan's latest cookbook, Baking Chez Moi, I had to try it. Dorie is an iconic culinary guru, so I expected a lot from these custardy apple squares.

We are already huge fans of most sweet appley treats. One of our favorite desserts, Apple Cheese Torte, involves cinnamon-spiced apples bathed in a cream cheese custardlike filling and snuggled inside a buttery shortbread crust. While superbly delicious it's more of a company dessert, so I don't often bake it. Quick Apple Crostata is more of a family dessert and takes mere minutes from prep to finish... if I first remember to thaw a frozen package of pie crusts. Cinnamon Apple Crepes and Apple Pie Swedish Pancakes serve equally well as delicious dessert or breakfast fare. Orange-Spiced Apple Rolls and Apple and Nut Coffee Cake win top honors on any brunch menu. Both Fresh Apple Quick Bread and Appl-icious Brown Bread are snackable hits. Apple and Jalapeño Pie with a Pecan Crust is amazing - note to self to share that recipe. Enough already, back to Dorie's apple cake recipe.

So why did I try one more apple dessert recipe? Well, it sounded sweet and appley, almost a cake and not quite a custard... and  Dorie Greenspan created it. It must be might be terrific.   

Peeling, slicing, measuring and mixing took less than ten minutes, almost too quick since I had to wait several more minutes for the oven to come up to temperature. While the cake baked its heavenly aroma kept me in the kitchen, nose twitching like a hound on the scent, and lured RL away from his computer project. Ooooh, we were so ready to love this cake.

Baking timing was a challenge; the outer edge browned heavily before the center puffed and firmed. Was my glass baking pan the cause? should I drop the temperature 25 degrees F next time to compensate for a glass pan, or purchase a metal pan? should I switch to a round cake pan to avoid crispy corners altogether? 

Despite the firm, dark brown edges, the cake showed promise. A dusting of powdered sugar improved the overall appearance and the first bite proved... pleasant. Hmmm, could the smell of an apple square actually outperform the taste?! I had already tweaked the original recipe by adding a generous tablespoon of freshly grated lemon zest, but felt it needed more of a flavor boost. RL declared it was just fine as is, and ate another piece... and another.  

We did enjoy this apple cake, ate the entire thing within the day, and pronounced it good but not quite as terrific as the Serious Eats post had proclaimed. Did I expect too much from a simple recipe? Maybe so, but I'm ready to give it another try. Next time I might add some cardamom or Apple Pie Spice, or stir in a teaspoon of almond extract, or even swap some pears for the apples (as suggested in some SeriousEats and FaceBook comments). A cook can't have too many "apple something" recipes.

Update January 17, 2015: 
1. Dropping the oven temperature 25 degrees F in a later batch eliminated the over browned edges and apple tips. The glass 8x8 pan must have been the issue on the first batch.
2. Additional flavorings - cardamom, apple pie spice and almond extract - helped boost the flavor, but the tastiest change was swapping a cinnamon/sugar topping for the original powdered sugar.
3. RL requested another pan of this cake today. He apparently loves it while I want it to tweak it to be something different, something more... I don't know what. Evidently it's still a work in progress.  

Fresh Apple Custard Cake

From a Serious Eats review of  'Baking Chez Moi' by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

3 medium to large, juicy apples (I used Granny Smith & Fuji), peeled
1/2 cup regular all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees F. 

Butter or spray an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Slice the apples quite thin, about 1/16 th inch thin, " elegantly thin, but not so thin that they’re transparent and fragile." Discard the cores.



Use a small bowl and 
whisk  together the flour and baking powder. 



In a large, separate bowl whisk the eggs, sugar and salt together for about 2 minutes, until the sugar just about dissolves and the eggs are pale. Whisk in the vanilla, then the milk and finally the melted butter. Add the flour to the bowl and whisk until smooth. 

Add the apples and using a rubber or silicone spatula gently fold the apples into the batter, turning until each thin slice is coated in batter. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth out the top.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown, uniformly puffed. Check to be sure the middle of the cake has risen and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack; allow to cool and set up for at least 15 minutes.



Unmold the cake bottom-side-up onto a plate, flip it back onto a second plate and cut into squares. Dust with powdered sugar; cut and serve.

In My Kitchen: January 2015

Happy New Year, 
and welcome to my kitchen.

In my kitchen:

Two enthusiastic anthurium celebrate the New Year in the window bay by opening new flower buds; bright spots of color that provide a tropical contrast to our cool and stormy Pacific NorthWest weather. Currently sunrise arrives around 8 a.m. and sunset is scheduled near 4:30 p.m., though the afternoons seem masked with a misty gray filter. During these shortened days I really appreciate the plants' glow and constant indoor cheer.

In my kitchen:

We finished the last of the Christmas cookies, candy  and Mango and Peach Mini Bundt Cakes; their tempting presence has been replaced by an inviting array of fruits and vegetables. Other produce like tender baby bok choy, kale, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, ginger, fresh herbs and salad greens are hanging out in the fridge. I look forward to some healthy salads, salsas, sauces and stir fry opportunities. 

New additions to the kitchen include: 

...RL's charming Santa mug gift from Hilary. Notice the handy opening designed to hold cookies, plus the accompanying flavor-popping, vanilla-frosted, peppermint-sprinkled Oreo cookies. The mug works best if you are left handed: go ahead, ask me how I know this detail.   

...my nautical-themed package of brightly-colored tea towels, charming fish snack plates with carrier, and practical anchor-shaped tea infuser. These will add a pop of color to the boat galley.  

...a U.S.-produced six-pack of tangy apple cider delivered by Laci. Eons ago I fell in love with Canadian hard cider, a refreshing alcoholic beverage that can pack a sneaky wallop if you drink it like a soft drink. Unable to find a comparable product in the U.S. I confined my cider-drinking to our summer trips. All that has changed and hard cider is now a fast-growing U.S. alcoholic beverage component. (link) Today craft breweries abound, hooray!! Rumor has it that a family member is aging her first batch of pear cider; I volunteered to taste test.

In my kitchen:

This pepper grinder is almost as much fun as some toys. It runs on four (yes, four!) AA batteries and lights up your plate as it grinds peppercorns into coarse flakes. We first saw this grinder in action in a restaurant's dark dining room. What a practical way to avoid a too-heavy coating of freshly-ground black pepper! Instantly intrigued I pestered queried various local kitchen shops, but none carried the device. Finally I searched online and AmazonFresh came to the rescue, delivering several grinders along with my grocery order. Now I have extras; one for the house kitchen, one for the boat galley, one for a gift, one just because... 

While organizing kitchen drawers I rediscovered an unused box of individual salt and pepper shakers, neatly tucked away with my stash of white linen napkins. I wonder if these cuties will ever get any use if the electric grinders are available. Why are they still in the kitchen? I haven't hosted a large-group dinner party in ages, but rationalize that the glass shakers don't take up much storage space. Did I intend them as photo props? or do I just like owning them? 

Flavored salt has earned more shelf space in the spice cabinet, joining the various smoked paprikas. We both love smoked salt as a finishing seasoning; just a pinch provides such a big flavor pop. Hmmm, charcoal grill-smoked salt could be an interesting, warm weather DIY project later this year.

...and that's a little bit of what's in my kitchen. 

Each month Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial invites bloggers to share posts about what's in their kitchen. I discovered Celia's blog and the IMK group last month and loved a quick peek into so many kitchens from around the world. Click over and visit some of the IMK bloggers, I think you will enjoy this fascinating international group.