Sunday dessert: French Apple Cake

Every Sunday, we have family dinner at granny’s house, and every Sunday I get a bit fancy with dessert. I’m going to start keeping track of them here (credited, rewritten with modifications; we’re not trying to plagiarize anyone, we’re just making dessert here). I usually bake half-batches of everything to avoid leftovers.

Last week’s dessert was French Apple Cake, original recipe from The Perfect Cake (great book). It’s a perfect, mild, cozy Sunday dessert. My modifications: different ratios (it’s hard to halve an egg, and I’m generous with booze), and different liquors because I don’t have apple brandy.

French Apple Cake

3 sm/med tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced pretty thin

1 overflowing tbs St Germain (elderflower liquor), or rum/brandy

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup plus 1 tbs flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tbs sugar

1 tsp baking powder

Dash of salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 325. Spray a 6-inch spring form pan with cooking spray.

Place apples in a microwave-safe dish, cover, and microwave 1-2 min, until slightly soft. Toss apples with booze and lemon juice.

In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. In larger bowl, whisk oil, milk, whole egg, and vanilla until smooth. Add flour mixture to milk mixture, whisk until just combined. Put 1/2 cup of batter into a smaller bowl, set aside.

Add egg yolk to remaining batter, whisk. Gently fold in apples, drippy liquor and all. Pour into prepared pan and smooth to edges.

Add 1 tbs flour to remaining batter, whisk in. Pour over batter in pan, smoothing to edges. Sprinkle 1 tbs sugar evenly over the top. Bake until center of cake is set and top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, run a knife around the edges, and let it cool completely before taking the springform ring off.  Dust with confectioner’s sugar if you’re fancy (I wasn’t). Serve with a big pile of whipped cream from a can.