I am not sure what is wrong with me but if my covered cake plate is empty I feel compelled to put something in it! It can be dangerous……..
Today, I’m spending Thursday with Dorie……..
I am a great fan of Dorie Greenspan and her blog Tuesdays with Dorie. She is one of those lucky people who have done and do a ton of great things. She lives in Paris for part of the year, worked with Pierre Hermé and Julia Child, wrote several books on her own and opened a cookie business, Beurre and Sel in the City. She also has a great charity, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. I love her books and she is a great role model of mine. If you haven’t looked at her books, I recommend that you do!
I have made her Double Apple Cake on numerous occasions – always to rave reviews. Today, I’m home with some people who are working in the house and needed a little project to keep me busy for a while. So I decided to play around with this recipe a bit. This is a simple cake to make and with big rewards!
APPLE BUNDT CAKE adapted from Dorie Greenspan
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
zest of one lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream
10 tblsp unsalted butter at room temperature
2 extra lg eggs at room temp
2 granny smith apples grated
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan with baking spray. (I love the Bak-Klene ZT I get at Williams Sonoma).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and lemon zest. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until smooth, three minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Add vanilla and blend. Add sour cream and blend. Add grated apples and blend. Don’t worry if mixture curdles.
With mixer on low, add the dry ingredients stopping as soon as flour disappears. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Unmold cake by turning upside down carefully onto a wire rack. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
- Notes: you can add toasted pecans to this cake if you’d like.
- You can swirl salted caramel through the batter
- You can also serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and a drizzle of cider syrup if you desire.
- Cider Syrup can be purchased from King Arthur Flour or made on your own by reducing fresh apple cider (not apple juice) down to a syrup consistency
I know this is an apple cake but I can’t help thinking devilish thoughts – I came upon an article in the new Tastes of Italia magazine about Amarena di Cantiano – a special sour cherry from the Marche region of Italy. You can top a dollop of creme fraiche on top of this cake with some of these luscious cherries! Or, just have a bowl of yogurt with some as a snack or for breakfast topped with crushed toasted almonds and maybe a little toasted coconut!
Amarena di Cantiano as seen in the December issue of Tastes of Italia