Whether served alone as a midday coffeecake or with vanilla sauce (vaniljsås) as a winning dessert, Swedish Apple Cake (appelkaka) is a treat no matter what the occasion. Arrange the apple slices in a pinwheel pattern on top of the batter to create a bakery-class cake.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp. almond rusk crumbs, biscotti crumbs, zwieback crumbs, or fine dry bread crumbs
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups cake or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 4 apples, each pared and sliced into 8 wedges
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350º. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan or cake pan. Sprinkle the crumbs in the pan, being sure to coat the bottom and sides as evenly as possible.
In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup sugar with butter. Add one egg at a time until all are incorporated. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the bowl until a smooth batter is formed.
Pour batter into pan. Toss the apple slices in the cinnamon and 3 Tbsp. remaining sugar, then press each one lightly into the batter to form a decorative pattern. Scatter chopped almonds across the top. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Serves 12.
