My aunt is an amazingly creative cook. Holidays with her are never "normal." While some may have ham for Christmas, we have crab legs and salmon, or cornish game hens, or a stuffed tenderloin rolled roast stuffed with spinach and goat cheese. Yeah, I'm pretty lucky.
And this year I was asked to make dessert, especially because I have to eat gluten free. They really like pie, and I prefer cake. And I found a happy medium- French Apple Cake. It's loaded with thinly sliced apples like a pie, but is cooked in a springform pan with a thin cake batter. It's a big yummy mouthful of WOW!
I actually looked at a few different recipes to get an idea of how to make it. The one by David Lebovitz (whom I think everyone should read, baker or not) is actually from a recipe by Dorie Greenspan. I chose not to follow that one simply because the apples weren't sliced thinly, but when I make it again, I may just try this specific recipe.
I went with this recipe by Recipe Girl for cinnamon apple cake. Unlike Dorie's recipe, this does call for cinnamon, but doesn't call for the rum. So I decided to use her recipe, but substitute rum extract for the vanilla. My uncle LOVES egg nog, so I thought it would be a good substitution.
While everyone enjoyed the cake, we all agreed that it would benefit from some caramel and a dollop of vanilla ice cream. (Should have followed through with my idea for a stop at the MSU Dairy Store.) Also, I would add more apples. I followed the quantity of apples in the recipe, but in Recipe Girl's directions she stated that the apples should reach the top of the pan. More apples are always a good thing. Also, I would leave out the rum extract.
If you'd like more of a custard on the bottom, this recipe by a Girl Defloured looks great too.
I used the new Michigan made "Bake It Best" gluten free all-purpose flour, which already has xanthum gum added. It is a cup for cup replacement for regular wheat flour. Read my blogpost about it and the creator, Linda Fedewa, by following this link. From there you can order her products from her website.
This was the first time I used my springform pan, and I love how well it turned out, structurally. PLEASE comment below and tell me what other wonderful things I can make in my springform pan, other than the obvious cheesecake. The more interesting the better...because now I want to cook EVERYTHING in it!
Labels: In the kitchen
