I was paring down my collection of back issues of my food magazines recently. I always thumb through them one last time to make sure I didn’t miss something good. I occasionally find recipes that did not catch my attention in the past, but now piques my interest. This recipe by Joanne Chang, who is an acclaimed chef and is especially known for her delectable desserts, is one of those discoveries. It’s a humble dessert, but one that will impress after the first bite. The pure maple syrup and tart apples were meant for one another.
This pure maple syrup was a gift from a Canadian family who were vacationing on Maui. The days of Log Cabin syrup are forever gone!
Crisp and tart Granny Smith apples are the right choice for this recipe. They keep their shape when baked and the flavor is perfect when infused with the maple syrup.
The recipe is a cinch to make. Reduce the maple syrup a bit until it thickens slightly. Pour it into the pan, layer the apples over the syrup, pour in the batter, and bake the cake. The house is filled with the most unbelievable scent of maple syrup and apples.
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 Granny Smith apples (about 1½ pounds), peeled, cored and cut into 10 pieces per apple
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cups lactose free buttermilk (lactose free milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar)
- 1 scant tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ sticks Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, softened
- 1⅓ cups sugar
- ***If you use unsalted butter, increase the salt to ¾ teaspoon
- ***The recipe calls for a 10-inch cake pan. Make sure you use one with 3-inch depth. I have also made this cake in a 9"x3" pan and left out about ⅓-1/2 cup of the cake batter.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch cake pan.
- In a large saucepan, bring maple syrup to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer over low heat until thick and reduced to ¾ cup, about 20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the syrup. If left unattended, it may foam up and overflow (making a mess) if the heat is too high. Pour thickened syrup into the cake pan. Arrange apples in the pan in 2 concentric circles, overlapping them slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a glass measuring cup, whisk the eggs with the buttermilk and vanilla. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the dry and wet ingredients in 3 alternating batches until the batter is smooth; scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Pour the batter over the apples and spread it in an even layer. Bake the cake for about 60-70 minutes, or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack for 45 minutes.
- Place a plate on top of the cake and invert the cake onto the plate; tap lightly to release the cake. Remove the pan. Let the cake cool slightly, then cut into wedges and serve.
- You may serve the cake with creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream.