- FOR THE CAKE:
- ¾ c. All-Purpose Flour
- ¾ tsp. Baking Powder
- pinch of Salt
- ½ tsp. Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. freshly grated Nutmeg
- 2 Eggs
- ¾ c. Sugar
- 3 Tbsp. Brandy
- ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing the pan
- 4 large Apples (I used 2 Granny Smith and 2 Fuji), peeled and diced into ½-1 in. chunks
- FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE:
- ½ c. Sugar
- ¼ c. Water
- 3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- ¼ c. Heavy Cream
- ¼ tsp. Kosher or Sea Salt
- TO SERVE:
- Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, or Crème Fraîche
- Preheat oven to 350°. Thoroughly butter a springform pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and frothy. Beat in the brandy and vanilla.
- Stir half of the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add half of the melted butter, stir, then add the remaining flour, followed by the remaining butter. Fold the apples into the batter and transfer the batter-coated apples to the prepared pan.
- Set the springform pan on a baking sheet (your guests will NOT be impressed when they walk into a smoke-filled house and the fire alarm is going off–trust me!) and bake until the center of the cake is set and a tester comes out clean. Mine took about 1 hour, 10 minutes, but I’d start testing around 50 minutes as baking times are likely to vary based on the size/moisture content of your apples.
- Let the cake cool for a few minutes in the pan, then run a knife around the edges, and remove the springform. Allow to cool slightly, then serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or crème fraîche and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
- While the cake bakes, make the caramel. Place the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk to dissolve. Cook until the mixture become dark amber in color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, then slowly stir in the cream and salt. Drizzle over cake. Any leftover sauce can be refrigerated and reheated in a water bath to a pourable consistency.
holly ; the hobbit kitchen says
I’ve never actually made apple cake, but all this talk of fall on the blogosphere lately has got me craving cinammon/apple/nutmeg flavours like never before. This looks super delicious as well, thank you for sharing – it’s saved in my recipe folder now!
Margaret Cook says
This sounds and looks wonderful! Your photography is amazing!
Sarah says
Thank you!
Cheryl says
Looks scrumptious! Can I use brown sugar instead of white in the caramel sauce? Is there room for a splash of brandy or Calvados in the sauce as well or is that gilding the lily? Fortunately I will have company this weekend so I can justify making the cake.
Sarah says
Try it! I bet it’ll work out just fine and be extra delicious, besides half the fun of cooking/baking is experimenting.
pam says
I like this better than my recipe (maybe it’s the brandy?) I’ll be over in an hour!
Love, Mom
Dina says
it looks delish!
Sabrina - A Spoonful of Photography says
Those apple dices surrounded by a little dough look just perfect – I think it might tast fabulous served with just some plain whipped cream. That’s how we habe our typical german apple cake – basicalky a simple crust loaded with apple slices, spiced with a hint of cinnamon and topped off with as much streusel as possible – to die for! 🙂
Sarah says
Streusel!!! My next take on apple cake will definitely involve streusel!
I checked out your blog. It’s beautiful, especially considering you just launched it!
Julia says
I made this cake this weekend – absolutely delicious!! I substituted Trader Joe’s Gluten Free flour with great success. I skipped the caramel sauce and it was still perfect. Thank you for a new fall favorite recipe.
Sarah says
Glad you liked it and I’m sure others will be happy to know that it can be made gluten free!
Cheryl in NC says
Hi! Commenting once again on your exquisite photography! You are SO talented, IMHO! May I ask what camera you use?
As to this recipe, I have made Dorie’s original (Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake) twice, once with Disaronna, once with rum. I liked the Disaronna version best, but either way, it was absolutely delicious! Next, I’m going to try YOUR version. Love the idea of the spices. If it’s anything like your photos, I’m in for a treat!
Sarah says
Hi Cheryl! Thank you so much! I’m not a terribly confident photographer, so I always appreciate a complement. I use a Sony A65 with a Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 lens.
I will have to try the apple cake with Disarrono–sounds delicious!