Today I want to share a recipe for an impressive cake that will ease us into Autumn spirit! This time we'll prepare an apple cake that brings together a fluffy sponge cake, lightly sour apples and a pleasant layer of whipped cream. We'll finish it off with a generous layer of fragrant cinnamon.
It's a perfect Autumn dessert for me. We have a moist sponge cake, and its almond notes go perfectly together with lightly sour apples, wrapped in delicious, apple-and-peach mousse. Lightly sweet cream balances them out, and cinnamon brings Autumn vibes. A beautiful cake that will make anyone happy.
You'll find the list of ingredients, method and approximate nutritional value below.
Turn on CC to watch the video.
List of ingredients (18 x 28 cm baking tin)
Sponge cake
- 90 g cake flour
- 30 g cornstarch
- 4 large eggs (yolks and whites separated)
- Pinch of salt
- 120 g sugar
Cake soak
- 100 ml water
- 100 ml Amaretto
Apple layer
- 1.2 kg apples / 900 g apples after peeling
- 30 ml lemon juice
- 2 peach jellies
- 300 ml water
Cream layer
- 300 ml whipping cream (36%)
- 150 g mascarpone cheese
- 40 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- Cinnamon, for dusting
Method
- Sift 90 g cake flour and 30 g cornstarch through a fine sieve. Stir through dry ingredients shortly only until starch is evenly distributed in flour.
- Pour 4 large egg whites into a large bowl and add a small pinch of salt. Whip egg whites with an electric mixer until it starts to leave visible marks in the foam. I recommend starting at low mixer speed and increasing it gradually as egg whites increase in volume.
- Once you get the right texture increase mixer speed to medium-high and start adding 120 g fine white sugar to egg whites. Do it in batches, about a spoonful at a time, and beat the contents of the bowl for at least 30 seconds each time, until sugar dissolves. Don't rush this step, as it is crucial for a good sponge cake, especially without baking powder. The more air you put in egg whites now, the fluffier the ready sponge cake.
- Once you've used all of sugar, add 4 egg yolks to the batter. Again, do it slowly, one egg yolk at a time, and mix each egg yolk in before adding the next one. Use medium-low mixer speed at this stage, and try not to remove too much air from the batter. Once you've used all egg yolks the batter will become a bit more fluid, but it should remain fluffy.
- Add dry ingredients in two batches, a few tablespoons at a time. Combine each batch with the batter carefully using a silicone spatula, only until you can no longer see raw flour. Try not to remove air from the batter.
- Pour the batter into a baking tin, 18 x 28 cm. Bottom of the baking tin should be lined with baking paper, but its sides should be dry and clean. The sponge cake should stick to the baking tin sides, so that the cake doesn't deflate much during cooling. It should also mean that the cake remains even across the surface, making it easier to divide it into layers. Even out the top of the cake carefully with a spatula and bake the cake in an oven preheated to 170 deg C (no fan) for 30-35 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, pour 100 ml cool water into a small jug and add 100 ml Amaretto. Stir the contents of the jug until liquids combine.
- Take ready sponge cake out of the oven and drop it straight away onto your work surface, from around 30-40 cm height. This step should force the hot air out rapidly, helping the cake keep its shape as it cools down. Set the sponge cake aside to cool completely.
- Put around 900 g cubed sour apples into a thick-bottomed pot. Add 30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice and 200 ml water to the apples. Stir through the contents of the pot to distribute lemon juice and coat apples with it. That should help the apples keep their colour. Bring apples to a boil over medium-low heat and cook them for 15-20 minutes, until most of apples disintegrate and forms a smooth applesauce. Stir through the apples from time to time, especially towards the end of cooking time when there is less water in the pot. Once you get the right texture, add remaining 100 ml water to the apples. Keep cooking apples for another 2-3 minutes, until water heats up, and take pot off heat.
- Transfer cooked apples into a large bowl that will be easier to place in a fridge. Add 2 packets peach jelly to the apples and stir until jelly crystals dissolve. Set applesauce aside to cool. Put it into a fridge next until it starts to thicken.
- Once the sponge cake is cool and apples have started to thicken, move on to the next step. Cut the sponge cake off the sides of the baking tin and place it onto a work surface. Cut the sponge cake into roughly equal layers. I'm using a long serrated knife, but a string knife will work, too.
- Return the first layer into a clean baking tin. Bottom of the baking tin should be, again, lined with baking paper, and the sides should be lined with baking paper or acetate foil. Soak the sponge cake generously with half of cake soak you prepared. Transfer thickening apples onto the cake base and spread them evenly across the surface. Place the second sponge cake layer on top of apples. Press it down lightly to make all the layers stick together. Soak the second sponge layer with remaining cake soak. Put the cake into a fridge as you work on the remaining layer.
- Pour 300 ml cold whipping cream (36%) into a large bowl. Add 150 g cold mascarpone cheese, 40 g icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla paste. Beat the contents of the bowl with an electric mixer until thick. I recommend starting at low mixer speed and increasing it gradually as cream increases in volume.
- Transfer whipped cream onto the cake and spread it in an even layer across the surface. Sprinkle the cake with a generous layer of cinnamon, cocoa powder or grated chocolate. Put the cake into a fridge for a few hours, or best overnight, until completely set.
- Enjoy!
Approximate nutritional value
100 g
- 218 kcal
- Carbs: 26 g
- Fat: 10 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Fibre: 1 g
1 slice (recipe makes 15 slices)
- 292 kcal
- Carbs: 34 g
- Fat: 14 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Fibre: 1 g
Comments
Post a Comment