It's Apple-licious!
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Maple-Almond Sunken Apple Cake | Photo by @emtulis
Sweet or savory, baking makes the most of fall’s favorite fruit
Words and photography by Elizabeth Tulis | From the Edible DC Fall 2020 issue
I started my baking blog, Pastry and Prose, on a bit of a whim. Although I’ve enjoyed baking since childhood, I began to pursue it as a hobby in earnest after I moved to DC from Brooklyn in 2017.
With my first functioning kitchen in five years, the bounty of the Dupont Circle Farmers Market down the road and a large group of pastry- and bread-loving co-workers, I gradually became more adventurous, experimenting with new flavor combinations and tweaking favorite recipes. Soon, baking became a vital creative outlet, and my blog offered a way to share the fruits of my creative process.
More often than not, my inspiration for new recipes starts with seasonal produce. At the farmers market, unable to exercise self-control, I inevitably find myself buying bagfuls of fruits, vegetables and herbs without any ready plan for how to use them. The selection of apples that appear at the market each fall, in colors ranging from pale yellow to the darkest burgundy, is especially enticing. My preferred snacking apples are always crisp and slightly tart, but I find it hard to resist any heirloom variety—the more obscure the better.
If you, like me, cannot bear not to choose among the rainbow of varieties, the rustic ombré apple tart offered here is an excuse to buy them all. This tart comes together quickly—it is basically just thinly sliced, unpeeled apples sprinkled with cardamom sugar and layered over a simple, honey-scented almond cream (frangipane). Yet it is strikingly lovely to look at, and tastes more delicious than the sum of its parts.
I am hesitant to name a favorite apple, but in a beauty contest the winner definitely would be the Pink Pearl. As their name implies, these apples are enchantingly pink—on the inside. Unfortunately, though I heard a rumor that one local orchard grows Pink Pearls, I have yet to find any in DC. On a trip to New York City last year, however, I discovered a similar pink-fleshed variety at the Union Square Greenmarket and carried a bushel home with me. If you can get your hands on some pink-fleshed beauties, the sunken apple cake below is a lovely way to feature them, but it would be just as tasty with plainer varieties.
Although my blog features many dessert recipes, my personal tastes actually run more savory than sweet. Apples pair beautifully with sharp cheeses and herbs like sage and rosemary, which all make appearances in the two non-dessert recipes I’ve shared. The focaccia—an updated version of a recipe I created for a collaboration with Della Pace, an artisanal olive oil company—falls somewhere in between sweet and savory, in an addictively good way. Use a quality olive oil; you’ll really taste it in this recipe. The apple, sage and Gruyère scones fit more comfortably in the savory category, and to me taste like the essence of fall. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Maple-Almond Sunken Apple Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen. Serves 6–8.
Ingredients
For the apples:
4-5 smallish apples
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
For the batter:
125 g (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
75 g (6 tablespoons) sugar
79 g (¼ cup) maple syrup (preferably “robust” or “extra dark”)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
3 large eggs, separated
¼ teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder (preferably “aluminum-free”)
120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
30 g (5 tablespoons) blanched almond flour
To finish:
Flaked almonds
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment.
Peel, halve and core the apples. Place each apple half cut-side down on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut parallel thin slices halfway through—in other words, you want to “score” the apple half but not actually create slices that will separate. It can be helpful to place a chopstick or similar item against one side of the apple, to help stop you from slicing too far down. (If you do cut all the way through, however, no worries: You can just place the smaller pieces together on top of the batter.)
Transfer the scored apple halves to a medium bowl and gently toss with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and almond flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, use electric beaters to cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the maple syrup and beat until incorporated. Now add the egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract, beating until just combined. Sprinkle over the baking powder and salt and beat until they just disappear. Now add the flour mixture, half at a time, mixing it in until just combined.
In a separate bowl with clean beaters, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. (Note: If you don’t have two sets of beaters, and don’t feel like cleaning your beaters in the middle of the recipe, just beat the egg whites first, using clean beaters, then place them in the fridge until you finish mixing the rest of the batter with those same beaters—no need to wash.)
Add ¼ of the whisked egg whites to the batter, to lighten it, then add the remainder, using a rubber or silicone spatula to fold them in until just barely combined. (A couple faint streaks of egg white are OK.)
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the apple halves over the batter—no need to press them down; they’ll sink naturally as the cake bakes. If there is any sugary lemon juice left in the apple bowl, you can drizzle it over the apples. Sprinkle flaked almonds around the apples.
Bake the cake 45 to 50 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. (Note: It won’t hurt to begin checking the cake at 35 minutes.)
Remove the cake from the oven, and allow it to cool in the pan on a wire rack. After 10–15 minutes, if you wish, you can release the sides of the springform pan. Either way, however, wait until the cake is completely cool before transferring it to a serving plate. Dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.
Rustic Ombré Apple Tart with Honey Frangipane
Serves 6–8.
Ingredients
For the cardamom-sugar mixture:
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
A large pinch of ground cardamom (preferably freshly ground)
For the tart:
An all-butter pie dough of your choice—enough for a single-crust pie
56 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sugar
A pinch of salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
60 g (10 tablespoons) blanched almond flour
5–6 large apples
1 egg, lightly beaten, for brushing the top
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a small bowl, mix together the 13 g sugar and the ground cardamom. Set aside.
On a large, lightly floured piece of baking parchment, roll out pie dough into an 11-inch square. Use the parchment to transfer the dough to a 9-inch square tart pan, carefully removing the parchment and gently easing the dough into the pan. The dough should extend about ½ inch over the edge of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator or freezer so that it will stay chilled while you prepare the filling.
To make the frangipane, in a medium bowl, use electric beaters to cream together the butter, honey, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Use the electric beaters to mix in a bit of the almond flour, then a bit of the egg, alternating between almond flour and egg until both are fully incorporated.
Halve and core the apples, and cut the apple halves into thin slices. (You can slice the apples lengthwise or crosswise—you’re going for slices that will be between 2½ and 2¾ inches in length.)
Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator, and scrape in the honey frangipane filling, using a spatula to smooth the frangipane into an even layer. Top with the apple slices, arranging the slices in tightly packed rows. For an ombré effect, start with the apples with the darkest skin, and end with the lightest colored apples.
Fold the dough over the apples, the brush the dough with the lightly beaten egg. Sprinkle the cardamom-sugar mixture over the apples (and over the crust, too, if you want!).
If you have time, place the pan in the freezer for 5 minutes. If not, you can just place it straight in the oven.
Bake the tart at 400°F for 50–60 minutes, until the frangipane is puffed and brown and the crust is golden.
Allow the tart, still in the pan, to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cool, remove the tart from the pan and serve.
Apple and Rosemary Focaccia
Serves 6–8.
Ingredients
For the sponge:
A pinch (1/16 teaspoon) active dry yeast
114 g (1/2 cup) water, at room temperature
116 g (1 cup minus 2 teaspoons) all-purpose flour
For the dough:
6 g (scant 2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
120 g (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) lukewarm water
All of the sponge
120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
120 g (1 cup) bread flour
1 teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
For the pan:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the topping:
1–2 apples (a crisp, flavorful variety)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon or more fresh rosemary leaves
Flaky sea salt
To make the sponge: The night before you want to bake the focaccia, combine the pinch of active dry yeast in a medium bowl with 114 g room temperature water and 116 g all-purpose flour. Mix thoroughly, cover and allow to ferment at room temperature for 12–16 hours. (The sponge mixture should approximately double in volume during this time.)
To make the focaccia: The next morning, combine the active dry yeast and the lukewarm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to sit for 5–10 minutes, until the yeast is activated and bubbly.
To the yeast mixture, add all of the previously prepared sponge, the all-purpose flour and bread flour, table salt, 1 teaspoon honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix to combine.
Using a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, knead the mixture at low speed for about 5–7 minutes, until a smooth dough is formed.
Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise at warm room temperature until doubled, about 45–60 minutes.
Lightly coat your fingers with olive oil. Using oiled fingers, gently deflate the dough, fold the sides of the dough in on itself and gently flip the dough over so that the seam side is underneath. Cover again with plastic wrap, and allow to rise again until almost doubled, about 40–50 minutes.
Coat a 9- by 13-inch pan (or similarly sized baking dish; a 12-inch cast-iron skillet works, too) with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Transfer the dough to the oil-coated pan, gently patting and nudging the dough to spread it out a bit, but taking care not to tear it. At this point, the dough will not fill the whole pan. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.
After the dough has rested, uncover the pan and gently stretch the dough out again, so that it now covers the entire bottom. If you like, lightly oil your fingers and use them to make irregularly spaced dimples in the dough.
Preheat oven to 425°F. (Optional: Place a large pizza stone or baking sheet to preheat on a rack in the middle or lower third of the oven.)
While the oven is preheating, thinly slice the apples, avoiding the core. Coarsely chop the rosemary.
Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dough. Scatter the thin slices of apple on top, turning some of them over so that both sides are coated with a bit of oil and honey. Scatter over the coarsely chopped rosemary and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Place the pan in the oven (on the preheated stone or baking sheet, if using) and bake the focaccia for 25–30minutes, until golden brown.
Remove the pan from the oven to a wire rack and allow it to cool for 5–10 minutes. Using a large spatula, loosen the focaccia from the pan and transfer the bread to cutting board or serving platter. Cut into squares, and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
About Elizabeth Tulis
A DC-based lawyer by day, a home-baker by early morning and night. Follow @emtulis on Instagram feed or on her blog, Pastry and Prose, where she shares her baking adventures, frustrations, and discoveries.
