Swedish Apple Cake (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Nancy of The Dog Eats the Crumbs: Swedish Visiting Cake. I guess this is the kind of cake you throw together when you have unexpected company, because it takes about 5 minutes to throw together and tastes pretty great! Maybe that's why it's called a "visiting" cake? :)

Since I didn't have any sliced almonds around (probably because I don't like almonds anyway), I opted to make the Swedish Apple Cake that Dorie adapted from Ann Brettingen. The longest part of this recipe was peeling and slicing the apple!


I need to measure my cast iron skillet because I think it's probably a 10-inch one, not a 9-inch, so my cake came out a tad thin. Regardless, it still tasted great. The only change I made to the recipe was to add 1/8 of a teaspoon of cinnamon because you can't have apples without cinnamon! I would have added more, but with only 3/4 cup of flour in the cake, I didn't want the cinnamon to be overpowering. In the end, I think it was just perfect.


Thanks Nancy, for hosting this week. It's a great go-to recipe for last minute entertaining! If you would like the recipe for the Swedish Visiting Cake, you can find it here. Otherwise, I've posted the recipe for the Swedish Apple Cake below. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this simple treat!

* Recipes notes:
- My cake was done after 35 minutes, probably because I baked it in a larger skillet.
- Add 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients to complement the apples.
- For tips from other TWD bakers, click here.

Ann Brettingen’s Swedish Apple Cake
adapted by Dorie Greenspan

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt (optional)
1 extra-large egg or 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 to 1 1/2 apples (I used Fujis), peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges
Apple, quince or ginger jelly or preserves, for glazing the cake (optional)
Procedure

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. (345°F if your oven will do that.) Generously butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or a similar sized cast-iron skillet.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, if you’re using it, and keep at hand.

3. Working in a mixing bowl with the whisk, beat the egg(s) and sugar together until thick and pale. Stir in the vanilla, if you’re using it, and then the melted butter. The mixture will be smooth and shiny. Stir in the dry ingredients and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Top with the apples, making a spiral pattern. Leave some space between each slice, so the batter can puff up between the wedges – it looks much nicer with the puffs.

4. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack.

5. If you want to glaze the cake, warm a few spoonfuls of jelly and a splash of water in a microwave oven (or a saucepan) until the jelly liquefies. Brush the jelly over the hot cake.

6. Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes, or wait until it reaches room temperature, before you cut it into wedges to serve.

Yield: 6 Servings.

Storing: Cooled and covered, the cake will keep overnight at room temperature, but it’s best served shortly after it’s baked.