When the fall season hits the town and all things go apple, treat your sweet tooth with a scrumptious classic dessert – apple cake. It is 40 to 50 per cent less in sugar than its counterparts.
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter + 10 Tbsp melted butter
- 2 Apples- peeled, cored, halved, and sliced into ⅛” thick pieces
- 1 Cup Dried Apples, cut into half-inched pieces
- 2 Cups Apple Cider
- 1½ Cups (7½ oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1½ tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 Tbsp vanilla essence
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp honey
- MELT 1 Tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add apples to it and cook. Keep stirring. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes till apples turn translucent and soft. When done, transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool.
- ADD dried apples and cider to the same saucepan and cook it over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. When liquid evaporates and the mixture appears dry, transfer it to a separate bowl and allow it to cool.
- ADJUST the oven rack to middle position and heat it to 325°F. Grease a 9″ wide round-shaped cake pan. In a large bowl, take all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Sieve all the three ingredients together twice or thrice. Sieving the ingredients thrice helps them to mix up homogeneously. In food processor, process cinnamon, nutmeg, cider mixture, and cloves until smooth, for approximately half a minute. Add egg to the same and process for more 15 seconds, till the mixture combines. With the processor running, moderately drizzle in 10 tablespoons of melted butter. Using a rubber spatula or a metallic spoon, gently fold the pureed apple mixture into the delicate flour mixture until combined. Make sure, the air bubbles in the mixture does not burst.
- SCRAPE the prepared batter into pan. Smoothen out the top. Refinish the surface with cooked apples slices. You can do this in decorative circles. Bake for 32 to 35 minutes until the toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Ensure that you rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- TAKE OFF cake from oven. Heat skillet. Microwave the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter with honey for 15 to 30 seconds until melted. Stir in the lemon juice to it. Brush this mixture over apples. Roast cake for 4 to 6 minutes until the apples are scrumptiously caramelized. Here, to prevent burning, you ought to check and turn the cake as often as necessary.
- LET COOL the cake in skillet for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the cake edges to loosen the cake. Invert the cake onto a plate, and then, invert it again onto a rack. Allow your scrumptious apple cake to cool completely. At least, for an hour and a half before serving.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE (per serving): 340 calories, 41 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein, 18 g sugars, 18 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 390 mg sodium.