have been on a quest for the perfect Dutch apple cake for years. No matter how traditional the recipe, how tart the apples or how moist the cake, it never matches the one I had at the t’Smalle café and wine bar on Egelantiersgracht in Amsterdam.
Until my last trip to the city, that is, when I met Felix Wilbrink, food writer of De Telegraaf. The original recipe would have been Jewish, he says, which explains the use of oil instead of milk or butter, enabling the cake to be made in kosher kitchens.
He makes his with a special cold-pressed Italian olive oil for an even finer result. It turned out to be the apple cake of my dreams, whether it is served as a pudding or as an afternoon treat, with cream or ice-cream, or unadorned.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
Prep 20min
Cook 90min
4 eggs
50g caster sugar
2tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp grated lemon zest
150g granulated sugar
250ml sunflower or light olive oil
250g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
1tsp mixed spice
750g tart cooking apples
50g flaked almonds
METHOD
Heat the oven to 170C/Gas 3. Beat the eggs with the caster sugar for 5 min until fine and pale. Mix the lemon juice, lemon zest and 100g of granulated sugar and add to the egg mixture, beating well. Add the oil, beating until incorporated. Sift in flour, baking powder and mixed spice, folding in well. Peel apples, quarter, core and slice.
Scrape half the batter into a deep-sided 23cm greased baking tin and scatter with half the sliced apples. Spoon in remaining batter, cover with remaining apples, and scatter with rest of 50g sugar and flaked almonds. Bake for 1½ hours, then turn off heat, partly open the door, and leave to cool in the oven.
Article : Times Online Article
Ingredients
Ingredients
