🍏 Dutch Apple Cake
Like cake with your apples? You'll love Dutch Apple Cake! Starring loads of cinnamon-sugared slices on a thin cake layer. Teatime done right.Before you startAs with most baking, it’s best to have your ingredients at room temperature. When you’re combining the wet ingredients, you don’t want to be adding fridge-cold milk or egg to warm melted butter.
Servings: 8 slices
Equipment
- Baking dish, 30x20cm (or equivalent). Metal is best (contrary to the photos in the post 🙈)
Ingredients
- 30 g butter
- extra butter
- 165 g self-raising flour
- teaspoon baking powder
- 80 g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 120 ml whole milk
Topping
- 25 g granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 500 g Granny Smith apples (about 4 medium)
- 20 g butter
Instructions
- Preheat Oven - to 160°C
- Butter - melt directly into a microwave-safe screw-top jar (without the lid).30 g butter
- Prepare Dish - generously grease the base and sides well with butter. Line the base and up two opposite sides with baking paper. Leave some overhang for easier removal of the baked cake.extra butter
- Dry Ingredients - sift the flour, baking powder and sugar into a large bowl.165 g self-raising flourteaspoon baking powder80 g caster sugar
- Cinnamon Sugar - combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt so that it becomes an even colour.25 g granulated sugar¼ teaspoon ground cinnamonpinch salt
- Prep Apple - cut each apple in quarters. Closely peel off the skin using a small sharp knife. Cut out the core and cut very thin slices (about 2mm thick). Try to keep the slices grouped together in order for easier arranging later500 g Granny Smith apples
- Wet Ingredients - to the melted butter, add the egg and milk. Put the lid on tight and shake until blended.1 egg120 ml whole milk
- Combine Batter - pour the wet ingredients over the dry. Fold gently with a silicone spatula until no dry bits remain (try not to overwork).
- Spread Batter - dollop batter into the prepared baking dish. Using a wet spatula, spread out lightly into an even thin layer.
- Apple Layers - pick up a sliced apple quarter. Drag the slices slightly apart so that it becomes a flattened layer of slices. You can be as OCD as you like with this - you might want to make there is the same distance between each slice. You may choose not to include smaller pieces of apple. It will taste good however you arrange your apples.
- Topping - melt the butter. Brush it over the apple slices and any exposed batter. Sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar.20 g butter
- Bake - for about 30 minutes (turning the baking dish halfway though). A skewer/thin knife inserted at a slant through the middle of the cake should come out clean. The sugar on the top will have melted. Allow dish to cool on a cooling rack before loosening around the non baking paper-lined sides. Lift out the cake by pulling the baking paper overhangs away from each other.
Notes
The apple slices may brown slightly after slicing as they get exposed to the air. Don’t worry about this. It doesn't affect flavour and the cinnamon sugar and browning will mask this anyway.
Leftovers
Keep well covered in a cool place (not the fridge - it will dry out the cake) for up to 3 days.
A little leftover cake trick:
If you have any cake left after the first day (if!), pop a slice in the microwave for about 10 seconds. It softens the cake, warms the apples and makes it taste almost freshly baked again.
If you have any cake left after the first day (if!), pop a slice in the microwave for about 10 seconds. It softens the cake, warms the apples and makes it taste almost freshly baked again.