My go-to cake when it comes to fall weekend baking. This cake is simple, moist, pudding-like, and not overly sweet...so delicious!*Reprinted with permission from Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone.
Prep time: PT15M
Cook time: PT60M
Total time: PT75M
Rating
4.14 stars (144 reviews)
Keywords
apple cake, cake, fall cake
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cognac ((Calvados, rum, or bourbon work well too))
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
3 medium Honeycrisp apples
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
confectioners sugar, for dusting
Categories
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place a piece of parchment paper into an 8-or 9-inch cast iron pan and grease with butter.2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Whisk in the granulated sugar, cognac, and vanilla extract. Pour in the buttermilk and whisk to combine. 3. Peel, halve, and core 2 1/2 of the apples, then cut them into 1/2-inch-thick cubes. Reserve the remaining half apple (unpeeled, and cut into 1/4-inch slices) for the top. 4. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined, then gently fold in half of the melted butter. Repeat with the remaining flour and butter. Gently fold in the cubed apples, reserving the slices. Transfer the batter to the pan and arrange the apple slices in a circular pattern on top of the batter. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake until the cake turns a deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes. Transfer the skillet to a cooling rack and let sit for 5 minutes. The cake may be served warm or at room temperature, directly from the skillet; whichever you choose, be sure to dust with confectioners sugar before serving.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 427 kcal
Carbohydrates: 34 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 58 mg
Sodium: 81 mg
Sugar: 22 g
Reviews
KW on 2025-01-17 (5 stars): Thank you!
KW on 2025-01-17 (5 stars): We love this recipe! We've made it almost every weekend this winter.
Is there a way to omit the sugar? Or a reasonable substitute?
Maria Dore on 2024-08-31 (4 stars): If I understand the recipe correctly, you need three apples, of which two and a half apples are diced and mixed with the dough and the remaining half of the apple is sliced with the peel on top of the dough. I'm also confused by this when I look at your picture.
The recipe is good, I'm making it for the second time now and I'll try to adjust the use of apples to suit.
Emily Varguez on 2023-12-17 (5 stars): I've made this twice now this past year and it's amazing! Hoping to make this with apples from Apple Hill soon!
Carrie on 2023-10-21 (5 stars): I made this cake with gluten free flour (wheat allergy in my family). Some recipes work with a simple substitute, others don't and cake is always risky. It was absolutely delicious. I will 100% be making this again. Love your recipes, Teagan. Each one I try is better than the last. Thanks for sharing your talent!
