Baking · 7 margin notes

Sunday Apple Cake

Where this came fromAdapted from the sort of plain apple cake that appears in mid-century American community cookbooks under a dozen different names. Ours leans further toward fruit than most, which is where the annotations come in: more apple means more moisture, and almost everything that can go wrong with this cake is a moisture problem.
20 minPrep
55 minCook
1 hr 15 minTotal
10Slices

Ingredients

  • 3 large firm apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for the top
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method, annotated

The notes in the right-hand column explain why each step is there.

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 9-inch springform or square pan with parchment.
    Why linedThis cake is heavy with fruit and sticks readily. Parchment is insurance you will be glad of.
  2. Peel and chop the apples into half-inch chunks — larger than you think — and toss them with 2 tablespoons of the flour.
    Why flour themThe flour coating absorbs the juice apples release as they bake and stops the chunks sinking straight to the bottom of the pan.
  3. Whisk the melted butter with the sugar, then the eggs one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla.
    Why melted butterCreaming softened butter aerates a cake, which sounds good but gives a light crumb that collapses under this much fruit. Melted butter gives a denser crumb that holds it up.
  4. Fold in the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon until only just combined, with a few streaks of flour left.
    Why stop earlyOvermixing develops gluten and turns the cake tough and rubbery. A few streaks disappear when you fold the apples in.
  5. Fold in the apples. The batter will look impossibly thick and more fruit than cake — this is correct.
    ReassuranceEvery tester at this point assumes something has gone wrong. It has not. The apples release enough liquid in the oven to loosen it.
  6. Spread into the pan, scatter the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top, and bake 50 to 60 minutes until a skewer in the centre comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter.
    Why sugar on topIt forms a thin crisp lid, which gives the cake some contrast against a very soft interior.
  7. Cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before releasing.
    If you skip itA fruit-heavy cake is structurally fragile while hot and will break apart when lifted. Thirty minutes is the minimum; an hour is better.
Keeping it

Keeps 3 days at room temperature under a cloth or loosely covered, and is better on day two once the moisture has distributed. Do not refrigerate it uncovered, which dries it quickly. It freezes well in slices, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 months.

If you remember one thing

Do not reduce the apples. The ratio looks wrong in the bowl and is right in the oven, and this is the one place where trusting the recipe over your instinct pays off.

*Approximately 340 calories per serving. Calories are an estimate from standard ingredient databases; actual values vary by brand and portion. See our disclaimer.

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