Maple Apple Cake Recipe

Maple Apple Cake Recipe provided by Jonathan Waxman

• Level: Intermediate
• Servings: 8 to 10
• Nutritional Information Per Serving (based on 10 servings): Calories 724, Total Fat 37 g, Saturated Fat 22 g, Carbohydrates 93 g, Dietary Fiber 3 g, Sugars 43 g, Protein 8 g, Cholesterol 128 mg, Sodium 447 mg
• Total Time: 2 hours (includes cooling)
• Active Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Apples:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 1 tablespoon maple sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 cups cored and diced crisp apples (such as Honeycrisp)

Crumble:

• 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup maple sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and diced

Cake:

• 8 ounces unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup maple sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup crme frache
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with butter and dust with maple sugar so it sticks to the buttered surface.
2. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the diced apples and 1 tablespoon maple sugar, stirring to coat. Saut until the apples caramelize but remain slightly firm, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. To make the crumble topping, combine cornmeal, flour, rolled oats, light brown sugar, maple sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Add the cold diced butter and use a fork (or pastry cutter) to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. For the cake batter, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, maple sugar, and maple syrup until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the crme frache at low speed.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the vanilla extract.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Spoon the sauted apples over the batter and gently press them so they settle evenly.
7. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apples. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool about 15 minutes before carefully removing the sides of the springform pan. Cut into wedges and serve.