This post is all about feelings. My grandma, with whom I was close, would always make this for any festive occasion. And when I moved to Seattle she would always have a fresh baked cake ready for when I arrived. This recipe is for me to document her recipe so I don’t lose it. So I guess you are getting to see the family secrets. But true to everything I do I like to make my spin on it. The cake is my grandma’s recipe, but the rest is how I feel this should be served as a high class dessert. So I served it with warm Granola, Compressed Apples, Whipped Cream, and Baked Apple Hard Cider and Dill Syrup.

Apple Cake

150g Butter (salted is fine)
250g Sugar
120g egg (3 eggs)
210g Cake Flour
2g Baking Powder
For topping:
4 Apples (Tart and crisp)
10g Sugar
5g Cinnamon

Pre-heat your oven to 175c (350f). Start by creaming your butter and sugar in stand mixer (any type of mixer works). Slowly add your eggs in 1/3 or 1 at the time.  Sift all the dry together and add to your batter. It is important to mix well, but not over-mix. Grease your cake tin with butter and add your batter to the tin. Peel and cut each appls in to 6 wedges. Before putting them on top of the cake, toss them in the Sugar and Cinnamon mixture. If you can get real Cinnamon it will make a pleasant addition to the cake. Gently press the Apple wedges into the batter in a circular pattern. Making sure they are evenly distributed. Sprinkle the leftover cinnamon sugar mixture over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Check it at 40 minutes and adjust if needed.

For assembly, I warmed up some Oats with a little honey to make the granola, with a little sprinkling of salt and vanilla. Compressed the Apples with Calvados. Compressing fruits is when you take pieces of fruit and liquid and pressurize in a chamber vacuum sealer. Whipped up some cream with very little sugar. You could optionally omit the sugar from the cream. For the syrup I used a Baked Apple Hard Cider which is made by Washington Cidery, D’s Wicked Cider Company. Reduce that down to a rich syrup (1 part cider to 3 part sugar). Once you get that syrup consistency, remove it from the heat and add the Dill to infuse. Decorate with edible flowers. I used Snap Dragons as those were my favorite flowers from my Grandma’s garden.

See you next time. Hungry Eyes Full Heart, Can’t Lose!