Fall is my favorite season–even though where I am, the seasons aren’t always very distinct. Even now, the temperature range is in the 70s, with the weekend forecast of low 80s. Is this really fall? Nonetheless, there is still something in the air that tells me autumn is here and winter is coming (no gloomy reference to Game of Thrones), with the days getting shorter and the evenings chilly and blustery. Of course autumn means all those wonderful comforting desserts with pumpkin, apples, pears. And seeing all the blog posts for apple pies and pumpkin breads confirms that, despite the warm weather, fall is definitely here.
Inspired by recipes for various apple desserts I’ve seen on other sites, I wanted to make a cake to celebrate the beginning of fall too. I found this recipe from the Tartine cookbook, which can be made with almost any type of fruit, and thought it would be perfect with apples. The cake is almond-based, an ideal complementary flavor to sweet and tart apples. After my first bite, I knew I had found a new favorite cake for the season. The cake is moist, with a compact crumb, topped by buttery apple chunks and a sweet crunchy almond crumble topping. Even though it’s called a “breakfast” cake, this would make for a nice reward after dinner (especially topped with some vanilla ice cream). I really am pretty excited about this cake and hope you get a chance to try it!
Recipe notes: As is usually the case, Tartine’s recipe did not need any correction. One thing I did find odd was that the yield states it makes one 10-inch cake, while the recipe instructs using an 8-inch round glass cake dish. I went midway and used my new Emile Henry 9-inch pie dish (I didn’t have a glass dish and this was on sale at Sur La Table, so I had to take up the opportunity of course), which worked well. I also added cinnamon to the apple topping, just because I can’t imagine an apple dessert without cinnamon, but the original recipe does not call for it. Because the fruit topping is wet, it might be difficult to determine whether the cake has been baked–the book suggests using a knife and pushing to the side to see if the cake is firm.
Ingredients
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- Apple Topping
- 2 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced or diced
- 1 T. unsalted butter
Crumble Topping
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- 4 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4-1/2 oz. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 oz. almond meal
- 4 oz. sugar
- 1/2 t. salt
Cake
- 6 oz. almond paste
- 8 oz. sugar
- 6 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 7-1/2 oz. unbleached all purpose flour
- 1-1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Preparation
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- Butter or grease a 9-inch round glass baking dish. Preheat oven to 350F.
Apple Topping
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- Sautee sliced or diced apple in butter until just soft and set aside.
Crumble Topping
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- Cream butter in a mixing bowl on medium speed until light and creamy.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients (flour, almond meal, sugar, salt) and mix on low until well combined but still forming a crumbly or coarse texture. Be careful not to over mix.
Cake
- Place almond paste in a mixing bowl and mix on low to break up the paste.
- Mix in sugar on medium until the sugar is incorporated and the almond paste is broken up.
- Add in the butter and mix until creamy.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl, then incorporate flour, baking powder, salt and eggs, starting on low then increasing the mixing speed to medium. Mix just until combined.
- Pour batter into the baking dish, evenly spread fruit on top, then finish with the crumble topping (you may have extra depending on the size dish you use).
- Bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes. Test for doneness by using a butter knife to see if the cake batter has been baked completely.
- When done, allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Cake can be served warm.