A Simple Apple Cake to Make Now
We love the rustic nature of this apple tea cake: the look, the ease of preparation, the slightly nubby texture from the inclusion of cornmeal. The maple and cardamom in the glaze make it a little special without much work. You must use pure maple syrup. You must. The book, Flourless, is about desserts that are naturally flour free such as meringues and cakes made with nut flour and the like. A great addition to your GF library.
Excerpted with permission from Flourless.: Recipes for Naturally Gluten-Free Dessertsby Nicole Spiridakis. Published by Chronicle Books (2014). Photography John Lee.
This rustic cake is ever so slightly gritty from the cornmeal, and that’s a good thing. Lush with butter and maple syrup, it is especially good served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. If your apples are very sweet you can use a little less sugar, and if cardamom is not to your liking, try substituting an equivalent amount of ground cinnamon.
- ¾ cup/150 g sugar
- 1 cup/140 g cornmeal
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 5 tbsp/70 g cold unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and very thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- To make the cake: Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter a 9-in/ 23-cm springform pan.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the sugar, cornmeal, and baking powder. Pulse to mix coarsely. Add the butter and pulse until no large lumps remain. Add the vanilla and egg and pulse to blend well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a rubber spatula. Arrange the apple slices over the batter in a circular pattern and place in the oven to bake.
- Meanwhile, to make the glaze: Combine the maple syrup, melted butter, and ground cardamom in a small bowl and whisk to blend well.
- After the cake has baked for about 45 minutes, remove from the oven and spoon the glaze evenly over it. Bake until the apple slices are slightly caramelized and a tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, another 20 minutes or so.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack; cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake and remove the sides.
- Cool completely before serving. The cake may be stored, wrapped in aluminum foil or in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.
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