Blue-Ribbon Apple Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 12, 2013
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
Apples
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing cake pan½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar ⅛ teaspoon table salt 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch slices (about 5 cups)Cake
½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ¼ cups (6¼ ounces/177 grams) all-purpose flour ¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) granulated sugar ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ cup sour cream, divided¼ teaspoon table salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened1 large egg plus 1 yolkBefore You Begin
Granny Smiths are the best choice because they hold their shape nicely and are tart. Other apples that hold their shape when cooked, such as Cortlands, can also be used in this recipe. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter 9-inch round cake pan.
- Melt butter in large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter has stopped foaming, add sugar and stir to combine. Continue to cook until sugar turns dark brown (it should look like dark brown sugar), about 2 minutes, swirling pan occasionally. Add salt and apples and fold with spatula to combine. Cook, stirring often, until apples have softened slightly and juices are thickened and syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat and spoon apples into prepared cake pan.
- In small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup sour cream, egg and yolk, and vanilla until well combined.
- Place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Using hand-held mixer, blend on low speed for 15 seconds. Add butter and remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Add sour cream/egg mixture and beat on medium-high, scraping down sides of bowl, until batter is homogeneous and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Spoon batter over apples and gently spread out to thin layer that covers apples. Bake until cake is dark golden brown, feels set, and cake tester comes out clean when inserted in center, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Place serving plate over top of pan and invert. Let cake sit inverted for about 1 minute without tapping or shaking pan. Cake will slowly detach itself. Once cake is on platter, gently remove pan. Serve warm (not hot) or at room temperature.
for the apples
for the cake
Yield
Serves 8Ingredients
Apples
Cake
Ingredients
Apples
Cake
Ingredients
Apples
Cake
Why This Recipe Works
For our Blue-Ribbon Apple Cake recipe, we sought a simple, easy-to-make cake in which the sweet-tart flavor of the apples was the star of the show. We found that the apples had to be cooked before baking to bring out the best of their flavor and reduce the juices that would otherwise turn our Blue-Ribbon Apple cake mushy. Cooking tart Granny Smith apples in butter and sugar added a deep, caramel flavor to the cake. For the batter, we favor a simple sour cream-style cake. The crumb is tender and the slight tanginess of the sour cream cuts through the cake’s richness. Lots of apple cake recipes use Bundt pans or high-sided cake pans, but we found a low 9-inch cake pan yields the best ratio of cake to apple. For the final touch on our Blue-Ribbon Apple Cake recipe, cooling the cake for five minutes before turning it out of the pan allows the caramel on the bottom of the pan time to harden just enough to stick to the apples, not the pan.
Before You Begin
Granny Smiths are the best choice because they hold their shape nicely and are tart. Other apples that hold their shape when cooked, such as Cortlands, can also be used in this recipe. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter 9-inch round cake pan.
- Melt butter in large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter has stopped foaming, add sugar and stir to combine. Continue to cook until sugar turns dark brown (it should look like dark brown sugar), about 2 minutes, swirling pan occasionally. Add salt and apples and fold with spatula to combine. Cook, stirring often, until apples have softened slightly and juices are thickened and syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat and spoon apples into prepared cake pan.
- In small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup sour cream, egg and yolk, and vanilla until well combined.
- Place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Using hand-held mixer, blend on low speed for 15 seconds. Add butter and remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Add sour cream/egg mixture and beat on medium-high, scraping down sides of bowl, until batter is homogeneous and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Spoon batter over apples and gently spread out to thin layer that covers apples. Bake until cake is dark golden brown, feels set, and cake tester comes out clean when inserted in center, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Place serving plate over top of pan and invert. Let cake sit inverted for about 1 minute without tapping or shaking pan. Cake will slowly detach itself. Once cake is on platter, gently remove pan. Serve warm (not hot) or at room temperature.
for the apples
for the cake
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
More Like This
Keep Exploring
0 Comments