Passover Apple Cake

I made this cake for my ILs' Seder last year, and other than being too stuffed (matzo! soup! potato kugel!) to really enjoy it, I'll definitely make it again. Next time, I think I'll use some brown sugar and matzo meal for the top "crust" just to finish it off with more of a topping.

Passover Apple Cake
adapted from Jewish Home Cooking
1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 t. ground nutmeg
3/4 t. ground ginger
3 large eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. matzo cake meal
5 medium apples, such as Golden Delicious or Crispin, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 5 cups)
1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

Mix together nuts, 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a medium bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat eggs on medium speed until well combined. Beat in remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until mixture is thick and foamy. With the mixer running, slowly pour in oil. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in matzo cake meal.

Pour half of the batter into prepared cake pan. Sprinkle over half of the nut mixture, half of the apples, and raisins (if using). Pour over remaining batter and top with remaining apples; sprinkle over remaining nut mixture.

Transfer cake to oven and bake until the sides of the cake pull away from the baking dish very slightly and topping begins to caramelize, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven and let stand for several hours until completely cool, before cutting. Keep cake covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 2 days, as the flavor improves with age.

Next year, in Jerusalem.

Caramel Apple Pie Ice Cream

Confession: I've had the freezer bowl of my ice cream maker attachment in the freezer since, oh, July. I waited all summer for the perfect recipe, but then life got busy.

I needed to use up the rest of my apples and had recently made my favorite apple cake recipe when it occurred to me that apple ice cream with apple cake might just be the perfect combo.

I found this recipe on allrecipes but made it my own. Hope you like it. It's gooood.

Caramel Apple Pie Ice Cream
2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 T butter
3 T sugar
1 t. cinnamon

3 c. whipping cream – I used 3 c. half and half
1 1/2 c. half and half – I used 1 1/2 c. 2% milk
1 c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla extract
2 t. cinnamon

4–6 oatmeal cookies – I used soft store-bought ones and gently tore them into small pieces
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the chopped apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until the apples have lightly browned and the sugar has begun to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely.

Combine cream (or half and half, if substituting), half and half (or 2% milk, if substituting), sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl; mix to blend well. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

When the ice cream has finished, stir in the cookie pieces, caramelized apples, and walnuts. Add the caramel by the spoonful while stirring to evenly distribute.

Serve on this cake. :)

Apple Cake 2

If you aren't a reader of Smitten Kitchen (really, who isn't?), you should take a gander at all her amazing recipes over there. This time of year, anything with apple or pumpkin has my vote!

Although I still think that this is my very favorite apple cake recipe, SK shares a sentimental one with a slightly different technique than mine. The apples are layered, the cinnamon is mixed into the apples rather than the batter, and she uses a tube pan (but I still used a Bundt—all I have!). Hers has the presentation though that my favorite does not. Look at those huge apple chunks on hers!

Since mine was in a Bundt pan, which you flip out of the pan (so the bottom becomes the top), I knew I'd have an issue with the apples being visible. Put them in first and you might not get the cake out of the pan at all. Put them in last, and you won't see them at all like you do in SK's because they'd be on the bottom. So, I attempted to layer them the best I could. Use a tube pan if you have one. :)

Apple Cake 2
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
6 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped – I used a combo of Braeburn and Golden Delicious
1 T cinnamon
5 T sugar

2 3/4 c. flour
1 T baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. vegetable oil – I used canola
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. orange juice – I bet apple juice would be great, but I didn't have any ;)
2 1/2 t. vanilla
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan (preferred) or Bundt pan. In a small bowl, combine apple chunks, cinnamon, and sugar. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, orange juice, and vanilla. Gradually mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients then add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.

Tube pan instructions:
Pour half the batter into the greased pan. Spread half the apples over the batter. Pour remaining batter over the apples. Arrange remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1.5 hours or until a tester comes out clean.

Bundt pan instructions:
Pour about a third of the batter into the greased pan. Spread half of the apples over the batter, pushing down slightly so that the apples can just slightly peek out the bottom (which will be the top) of the cake. Pour another third or so of the batter on top of the apples. Pour in remaining apples then remaining batter. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. (I did it this way so that you'd be able to see the apples when you flip it out of the pan but still be able to get it out of the pan without the apples sticking to the bottom—hopefully!)

Hers looks a heck of a lot yummier than mine, so use that tube pan if you have it. ;)

Coming Soon...

Meet my friends (l to r) Red Delicious (I only picked two—not the best for baking), Golden Delicious (perfect for baking), Braeburn (slightly tart due to his Granny Smith momma), and York (lopsided but so delicious).

Coming soon:

Apple cake (a different version)
Apple cinnamon ice cream (with oatmeal cookie chunks, caramel, and nuts—you won't want to miss this one!)

Giada's Apple Crostata

I puffy heart Giada. Some might say I'm obsessed with her. In any case, she comes up with completely delicious creations that aren't that hard to assemble, and this crostata is no exception. I made it twice and it's just so pretty and flaky and good. I even used her crust recipe for my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie! Be sure to follow the crust recipe carefully; using chilled butter and ice water is very important to any good crust.

Since I still had leftover apples from apple picking, I didn't use Golden Delicious or Pippin, but whatever I had on hand, and it worked out just fine.

Apple Crostata
Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
10 T. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 T. ice water

Filling:
2 small Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 Pippin apple, peeled, cored, cut into 1/8-inch slices
1/4 c. plus 1 T. sugar
1 t. lemon juice
1 large egg white, beaten with 1 T. water (for egg wash)
2 T. sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish (I omitted)

To make the crust: Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the ice water and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather the dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. (If the dough still crumbles and does not form into a ball, add another tablespoon of ice water.) Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

For the filling: Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the apples, 1/4 cup of sugar, and lemon juice in large bowl; toss gently to blend. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, dust a large sheet of parchment paper with flour and roll out the dough on the paper to an 11-inch round. Transfer the dough on the parchment paper to a heavy large baking sheet. Spoon the apple mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, leaving the apples exposed in the center. Pleat loosely and pinch the dough to seal any cracks. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. (Note: Mine leaked apple juices both times I made this, despite pleating, and the juices burned the cookie sheet. Just watch it closely or don't add all the apple juices left in the bowl when you assemble the crostata.)

Bake the crostata until the crust is golden and the apples are tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack; cool for 10 minutes. Slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the crostata from the baking sheet. Cool the crostata to lukewarm. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve. (Or cut right into it and top with vanilla ice cream while it's still hot!!)

Find the maple leaf cutout amongst the same-colored apples and you win a prize. :)

Fall Treats: Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Glaze

My friends Amanda and Margaret and I went apple picking out in Loudoun County and had a lot of fun doing so... but all those apples! What to do with them? Once I found this recipe, it was clear: make this recipe four times. :) I became a little obsessed with this one!

I made it into cupcakes several times (cook it for much less time), but my favorite is just as a Bundt cake. This is the perfect apple cake: crunchy exterior, moist interior, and a sweet glaze. Of course it's from epicurious!! We went apple picking too late for Golden Delicious to still be around, but I just used a combination of several varieties (York, Crispin') and it was perfect.

Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Glaze
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1 cup + 1 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (about 3 1/2 ounces)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick spray. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Transfer 3 tablespoons flour mixture to Bundt pan and tilt to coat. Set pan aside. Place apples and 2 tablespoons flour mixture in another medium bowl; toss to coat apples. Combine 1 cup brown sugar, vegetable oil, 1 cup sugar, eggs, and 3 teaspoons vanilla in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is thick, about 4 minutes. Gradually beat in remaining flour mixture. Fold apple mixture and pecans into batter; transfer to prepared Bundt pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer cake in pan to rack. Let stand while making caramel.

Melt butter in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Whisk in remaining 1 cup brown sugar, then milk. Continue to whisk until topping is smooth and blended and comes to boil, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spoon 1/4 cup hot caramel topping over bottom of warm cake in pan. Let stand until topping is absorbed into cake, about 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto platter. Pour remaining warm topping over cake. Let stand until cool, at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome. Let stand at room temperature.)