This spiced apple cake recipe is both rustic and elegant. This is a perfect, not-too-sweet, colder weather apple dessert. It's fancy enough to serve at a holiday event but would be just as at home for your coffee break.
Make the bottom layer in a 9"x2" cake pan, and bake the top layer (the one with the apples and pecans arranged on top) in a 9"x3" springform pan so you don't have to turn the cake out and risk ruining the design.
As always, all measurements in ounces are by weight and not volume. Please buy a scale. You won't be sorry.
2ozdried apples(not the crisp chips but the leathery dried apples)
4-5medium baking apples(I used Pink Lady. The original uses Golden Delicious. Use what you like), divided use
3ozpecans, toasted and coarsely chopped plus more pecan halves for decorating the top
15.75oz(2 1/4 cups) granulated sugar
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
10-12microplaned gratings fresh nutmeg
1/4-1/2teaspoondried ginger, to taste
1 ½teaspoonsfind sea salt
18oz(about 4 cups) all purpose flour
4teaspoons(1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) baking powder
4ozbutter, melted and cooled
3.5oz(1/2 cup) neutral vegetable oil
8oz(1 cup) apple cider at room temperature (unfiltered if you can get it, otherwise the "clear kind" is just fine)
4large eggs, at room temperature
For the Glaze
1 14ozcan dulce de leche(or make your own by boiling a sealed can of sweetened condensed milk--completely submerged in boiling water--for about 3 hours. Let cool before opening)
Instructions
For the Cake
Line the bottoms of a 9"x2" round cake pan and a 9" springform pan with parchment. Spray the parchment and the sides of the pans well with pan spray. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Soak the dried apples in very hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out a fair amount of the liquid. They don't need to be bone dry, but you don't want them any wetter than a fresh apple would be. Chop them into about 1/2" pieces, and set aside.
Wash and dry the fresh apples. No need to peel. Cut 2 1/2 apples into medium dice. Set aside along with the remaining apples.
In a large bowl. whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, flour and baking powder until evenly combined and light.
In another bowl, whisk together the butter, oil, apple cider and eggs. Mix in the toasted, chopped pecans, the diced apples and the chopped dried apples.
Stir well until evenly combined and no wet flour or sugar remains. The batter will be fairly stiff.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops.
Slice the remaining apple into thin half moons (about 1/8" thick). Arrange them decoratively on top of the layer in the springform pan. Add some pecan halves as well. Be creative.
Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. The unembellished round should be ready at this point. The internal temperature of the layer should be 200F. Remove that layer and continue baking the embellished layer another 20-30 minutes more, depending on your oven. You may want to cover the pan if the fruit or cake is browning too much, and check the internal temperature every 5 minutes or so once it gets up to about 180F. if you don't have a thermometer, the cakes will both be firm to the touch, golden brown on top and will have started to shrink from the sides of the pan just a bit.
Cool each layer for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife or small spatula around the insides of the pan to make sure the cakes will release cleanly.
Turn out the bottom layer and reinvert to cool top-side up. Carefully unmold the top layer from the springform pan.
Let cool completely.
To Glaze and Decorate
Warm about 2/3 of the dulce de leche so it is easily spreadable. If it seems a bit too stodgy, heat a tablespoon of milk or half and half along with it and stir until smooth and spreadable.
Cut any dome off the bottom layer with a serrated knife. Eat it immediately. Spread the dulce de leche evenly over the top of the layer, all the way to the edges.
Place the top layer on top of the dulce de leche and press down gently to make sure they stick together.
Heat the remaining dulce de leche, adding a bit of milk if necessary, and drizzle a bit over the top. Spoon most of it around the edges of the cake so it runs down in Artful Drips.
I mixed some powdered sugar with some cinnamon and dusted the top of the cake with that. You can you that or not.