by drbabs
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Expand3 large apples (I used Honeycrisp and Fuji.) Ask a question about this ingredient
4 tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter + ~2 TB butter + more for pan Ask a question about this ingredient
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon baking soda Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon cinnamon Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon ground ginger (if you want more of a gingery kick; optional) Ask a question about this ingredient
3/4 cups brown sugar Ask a question about this ingredient
2 large eggs Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon lemon zest Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (I peeled a 2 inch piece and grated it with a microplane grater) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon molasses Ask a question about this ingredient
3 tablespoons dark rum Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup milk Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt Ask a question about this ingredient
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9” springform pan. If you are concerned about your springform pan leaking, wrap the bottom with aluminum foil.
Ask a question about this stepCore and peel apples, and cut into thin slices. Melt ~2 TB of butter in saucepan and cook until it is lightly browned. Stir in apple slices until all slices are covered with browned butter. Sprinkle ~2 TB turbinado sugar over apples, and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, till apples are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
Ask a question about this stepIn a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger (if using) and salt. Set aside.
Ask a question about this stepIn a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Beat in two eggs. Beat in lemon zest, ginger, molasses, rum, and vanilla extract. (The mixture will look curdled. It's OK.)
Ask a question about this stepStir in the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring after each addition so the batter is thick and smooth. Fold in the milk and yogurt till batter is smooth and thoroughly combined.
Ask a question about this stepScrape half the batter into the prepared springform pan. Cover with apple slices, and spread the other half of the batter over the apples. Smooth top with spatula. Place walnut halves on the top of the cake, and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar over the top of the cake.
Ask a question about this stepBake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake may slightly pull away from the sides of the pan.
Ask a question about this stepTransfer to a cooling rack. Run a knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it completely from the sides of the pan. Open the ring and remove it. If you want to remove the cake from the base of the springform pan, wait until it has cooled completely, then slide a long thin spatula between the cake and the base. Use a large spatula to then move it to a serving plate.
Ask a question about this stepServe as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a blob of barely sweetened softly whipped cream.
Ask a question about this stepMade this last night and everyone loved it. It reminded me today (after the spice flavors, molasses, etc. had settled in) of my mother's applesauce cake. I scattered pecan pieces on top, as we had no walnuts. What a great idea, that crunchy sugar top! (I will surely steal that technique in due course.) ;o)
I'm honored that you made this, and so glad that you all enjoyed it. I've done pecans on top, too, and I think it does make a difference. Thanks for letting me know!
drbabs, I asked you a question about this recipe a while ago about whether I had to use a paddle attachment or whether I could do it by hand. You said I could use a hand mixer but II never ended up making it back then. However, I ended up making it a couple of weeks ago and OMG, fannnnnnnnnnntastic. I had never really 'baked' before and I certainly had never made a torte but we were invited to a friend's house for a few days and everyone there was a foodie and the rule of the house is that everyone be in charge of an entire meal. It was a huge hit and now I have a little bit more confidence and will try to bake something else. Many, many thanks.
P.S. Love that you can make this a few days ahead! Perfect. Just perfect!! ;o)
All I can say is Wow!! I just finished eating a piece while I was pulling up this site. LOVE FOOD52!! This torte is so incredibly delicious. I did three and a half apples, assorted varieties. Used Grand Marnier instead of the rum. Heaping teaspoon of cinnamon. Both fresh and ground ginger. One-quarter teaspoon of nutmeg. Will be making this many more times. Baked it for 50 minutes. Wonderful. Now I'm going to see if I can wrap it up for some more guests tomorrow. I'm not sure I can do it without having another sample -- just to make sure it's still okay from ten minutes ago. Thank you, drbabs. You did good.
Making this on New Years Day, to serve with a big pot of soup and a salad -- another all-FOOD52 meal, I might add. Cannot wait! Close friends and neighbors have kids at Oregon and my younger son is at Wisconsin, so the Tournament of Roses will be particularly fun this year. ;o)
Have fun! What soup and salad are you making? I want to do that for New Year's Day, too!
This was so delicious! It disappeared so quickly. I think my dad ate 1/4 of the torte by himself in one sitting. I get tired of all of the pumpkin pies and gingerbread cakes during the holidays. This is a great alternative and I love the layer of apples in the middle! Will definitely make this again and again :)
I've made this twice to rave reviews. A bounty of fall apples at the farmers market inspired me. I used about 5 apples instead of 3. Fresh ginger: but of course! Best topping so far is whipped cream/creme fraiche.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. I was worried when the top looked well done after only 45 minutes of baking, but the inside was moist and delicious. I will definitely make this again! Thanks.
Oh, this was delicious. I used apples from our last apple-picking expedition, and made it gluten free. I used King Arthur Flour gluten-free pancake mix to replace the regular flour and baking soda and, with no rum, I used apple cider. I'll definitely be making this again -- probably for Thanksgiving!
Tried this day before yesterday and loved it. I added chopped walnuts to the batter, because i like a little extra crunch in the cake. Had to use light rum so it didn't have a very strong rum taste. I think it would be good with Grand Mariner in it too!! I took some of over to my friend, who loves ginger, along with the recipe. Oh - I was going to add some pieces of candied ginger, which I thought would be good, but forgot to add them. Next time!!!
I'm planning to make this for our book launch party this weekend. It looks amazing! Thanks for your variations note - I have cider and sour cream in the fridge already so may use those ingredients. Sounds like you had a fun party!
Oh, that's so great! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for letting me know. Have a great party.
NOTE ABOUT VARIATIONS: I made this yesterday for our FOOD52 book launch party, and changed things around a bit. Since there have been questions about substitutions, I wanted to share what I did. I used apple cider in place of the rum, half and half instead of milk, and sour cream instead of yogurt. I also put all the liquid ingredients together in my prep, and added them together in step 4, then gently stirred in the flour mixture. The cake came out delicious, but needed about 5-10 more minutes of baking (it collapsed a little when it cooled, even though the tester came out dry.) Turns out it's really forgiving, so feel free to make substitutions.
The cake was amazingly delicious, thank you so much for bringing it drbabs. It was fantastic and a recipe I plan on making. Its moist and tender just perfect!
Thank you, Suzanne. It was so much fun meeting you and seeing your beautiful apartment. We all had a great time. As for the cake, I hope you're enjoying the leftovers! :) I'm glad you liked it. XO
I was hoping for some leftovers but it was all eaten, I should have squirelled away a piece for me, Thank you so much I so enjoyed meeting you and Harry, It was so much fun, I want to do it all over again,
I'm glad I saw this on the front page - I forgot to make it last year and it looks so delicious!
Oh--I hope you do. I'm making it a lot right now--it's perfect for this time of year. This is what i really like about the site re-design--the front page recipes keep changing and it reminds me of all those I wanted to try but didn't get around to.
This sounds great. However, I need to bake it about 10 days before Thanksgiving and take it with me on a 6 hour drive. Does anyone have any idea if it will freeze well?
Thanks, Tarragon. I have never frozen it, but I have kept it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It will definitely be more like a coffee cake--soft, gingerbready cake with a caramelized apple filling. The top is shiny and crunchy on the first day, but becomes softer over time, so that will probably happen in the freezer, too. I hope this works for you! Please let me know what happens.
I made this over the weekend with my best friend who was baking for the first time. What a wonderful introduction. We were both ecstatic with the result and I am looking forward to baking this again soon!
Thanks, Hayley. i'm so glad you both liked it (and that she wasn't put off by the clean-up!).
It was very good! I think I'm going to to make some cupcakes with this and use carmelized apples as a filling
fantastic cake, so good!!....mmmmmm
I just saw this as I'm making the cake myself--thank you so much; I'm so happy you like it.
drbabs -- if all goes well, I'm making your cake tomorrow and I can't wait! One question: I don't have rum...should I just leave it out (no substitute) or sub an equal amount of something else, maybe apple cider?
EmilyC - I know this question was directed at drbabs, but just wanted to let you know that I substituted Grand Marnier for the rum and further down the page drbabs advised someone else to use milk, non alcoholic apple cider or apple juice instead of the rum. This cake is an absolute favorite in our household and it's difficult to just have one piece!
Good luck with making it.
Thanks, fortyniner...Hi Emily! Yes, you can substitute apple cider or juice, or even more milk (you need the liquid). The rum gives it a little more depth of flavor, but the cake will be fine either way. I'm so happy you're making it! Please let me know how it turns out.
Oh my -- this is a heavenly cake! I couldn't wait until after dinner to try it. I love how the cake isn't overly sweet and the spices are just right. I made it with honey crisp apples, fresh from the orchard. I subbed apple cider for the rum and it worked just fine. Great cake, drbabs, one that I'll be making again for sure!
I made this ages ago and it was so good that I still think about it every so often. I'll definitely be making it again this fall.
This was really fantastic, unfortunately I didn't have turbinado sugar on hand, but I took the leftover butter and apple juice from the saucepan, boiled it down, and glazed the cake with the syrup, and it made the same crispy, glassy crust. Either way, the smell was my favorite thing about making this cake.
Mm... this was absolutely delicious. I made it for a small Christmas dinner, and it was gone quickly. Our out-of-town guests happily ate it for breakfast too. Thanks for the great recipe! I especially love the turbinado sugar crust.
Oh--I just saw this! Thanks so much--I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Ginger and apple go so well together. Beautiful torte!
This cake was such a hit at Thanksgiving, I decided to make it again for my annual Christmas dinner party last night. Everyone raved about it! One woman initially said, oh I only want a half a piece, really, just a sliver. But once she had one bite, it was: um, can I have the other half? She polished the whole thing off. Thanks again for such a great, great recipe!!
Thank you, ChezSuzanne, for your sweet comments. It thrills me that so many people are enjoying that cake.
This was Delicious and I'll make it again. I learned that it really needs to be served at room temperature.
We ate some on the day I made it and then next day when friends popped around I warmed each slice for about 20 secs in microwave and served with whipped cream and icecream. Sadly there was none left for a third day!! Way too good.
Making this again Friday for our Christmas Day dessert! Yummo......
drbabs, this is really an amazing cake. I love the crunchy top and each bite is so interesting with the ginger and caramelized apples. Your spice blend with the fresh ginger and lemon peel...and rum is really great! I can't wait to make it again!
Wow--I'm so glad you liked it! And I can't wait to try your rolls. You've inspired me to get to work on bread baking this winter.
Hi Dr. Babs - I can't wait to make this recipe; it sounds scrumptious! Is there a non-alcoholic substitute for the rum that would work? Thanks.
Hi Cindy. You can skip the rum if you like. You may need a little more milk to make up for the liquid. I think apple juice or non-alcoholic apple cider would be good, too. Please let me know what you do, and how it works out.
I made the torte without rum today, upping the milk as drbabs suggested. I brought it to a dinner party & the hosts requested the recipe, so I'd say that was a good sign! I'm sure the rum adds a unique flavor to the cake, but it's quite delicious without it.
drbabs, I have a torte in the oven and our house smells marvelous! Taking it to a Hanukkah dinner this evening. I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Happy Chanukah, Carol! I hope you and your family enjoy the cake.
Thank you so much for letting me know.
dear drbabs: just made my venezuelan version of your ginger apple torte with our delicious dark rum. used honey instead of molasses (it doesn't exist here) and had to use lime zest instead of lemon as it doesn't exist here either. used royal gala apples, delicious... i'm halfway down thru it, baked it in a bundt pan and it looks pretty nice and golden brown.
the bad part is that we have had terrible rain for the past week and it didn't rise so well because of the excessive humidity. but what else to do on a rainy day stuck at home because of mudslide warnings, but bake a ginger apple torte?
Venezuela, wow...you can't imagine what an honor it is to me that you made the torte and adapted it to your own ingredients. Thank you for letting me know. I hope the sun comes out today.
THIS LOOKS INSANELY GOOD! Can't wait to make it and congrats darling Drbabs!
I made this on a lark for Thanksgiving, not even daring to promise a dessert because I hadn't made it before (and because my son is not quite 4 weeks old). We LOVE gingerbread, have magnificent local apples (Winesaps! I caught them in season this year!), and I was so intrigued. This was automatically my hubby's favorite cake of all time, and will be made many times in the future. The crunchy top is awesome, especially for my frosting-hating hubby, and the flavors are just delicious. Congratulations and wow, wow!
Congratulations, drbabs! This lovely will be added to our holiday rotation for sure. - S
Have just made this cake and it is smelling divine. I substituted a few things - treacle for the Molasses, Grand Marnier for the rum, chopped pecans for the walnuts plus also added some ground nutmeg and ground Cardamon. I got to scrape the bowl - cooks delight and the taste so reminded me of the ginger spice cakes my Mum used to make 50 + yrs ago in UK!
Lots of ingredients and took a while to make but so worth it, can't wait to have it for dessert with whipped cream. The carmelised apples (I used Granny Smiths as had a huge bag of them) went so gorgeous with all that sugar and butter - I was tempted to just sit and eat the apples!
Thanks for a great recipe - this will be added to the list of repeat performers!
Sorry I meant to write chopped pistachios instead of walnuts! My cake resembles the piccie above which always delights me when things turn out looking so good!
Oh, I bet nutmeg and cardamom are divine in this cake! I'm so happy you enjoyed making it--all the clean-up is a bit of a pain--sorry!--but as you can see it's very easy to make your own, and I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks again drbabs, this cake was worth every bit of all the washing up! Truly has to be one of the best cakes I have ever tasted, the combinations of flavours is amazing. I have decided to make this again for our Christmas Day dessert as it is a much better lighter and tastier option for us here in Oz. The Cardamon went so well in the cake, I am a bit of a cardamon freak and couldn't resist adding it to your recipe (Hope you don't mind).
Actually, I love that you added cardamom; I plan to try it myself the next time I make it. Have fun with the recipe!
I made it with a mixture of spelt flour and coconut flour for the wheat intolerant in my family. It was the best desert at our Thanksgiving meal. Only regret is that there were no leftovers.
I'm so glad to know that that worked-- I was wondering if it were possible to make it gluten-free. I'm glad you all liked it--thanks for commenting!
Abbygayle, could you tell me now much of each of the flours you used for the cake? I have a very good friend who's gluten intolerant and it would be nice to be able to make this so she could eat it...
Oh, and in a pinch I added pecans to the top (ran out of walnuts) and it looked fantastic!
This was delicious, although I didn't cook the apples enough. Thanks!
Oh, and, I just did have my leftovers of this for breakfast. Yum.
I ate it for breakfast, too. I love a cake that works for both dessert and breakfast.
Re: not cooking the apples enough--don't use a non-stick skillet! They reduce and brown much better in a stainless steel skillet.
Re:breakfast--We had some leftover that I brought to work this morning for us all to have for breakfast-- it was so good! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this cake.
I didn't use a non-stick skillet. I'm just plagued by an inability to be the least bit patient! Oops. It was still great. I'm thinking of bringing it to another potluck next week.
This was just wonderful!!! My 5 year old great-nephew had 3 pieces before we cut him off, and we caught my sister-in-law going for a 4th piece a little while ago. Huge hit, and I may make it again for a Christmas dinner party I'm having in a couple weeks. Thanks for a great recipe, drbabs!!
Congratulations! This is on the menu today (sans walnuts because of allergies) and I can't wait! I sent it to my brother in London to cook for a Thanksgiving gathering that he's hosting too!
Wow...I was just able to sign into my computer since Monday, after our snow/wind storm on Monday. Congratulations to you drbabs, I am so happy for you!!! I will definately be making this sometime during this Holiday Season, oh and Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks, lapadia--I hope you all enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Hey Dr. Babs, congratulations on the win and I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving! I was truly honored to be in the running with a cook as good as the likes of you.
Wow, thank you so much! (blush!) I love cranberries and bought some so I could make your dessert soon. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Just took this out of the oven and it smells great!!! Can't wait to try it tomorrow! If the dogs don't get it first... :-)have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family, drbabs.
I so hope you enjoy it. (No! The dogs can't have it!!) You have a wonderful Thanksgiving, too, Suzanne.
Ohhhhh!!!!! I just saw that this wonderful torte won! Totally spaced that this was Wednesday. Many congrats - your torte will have center stage at our table tomorrow. Love the pictures of you and your family.
Best congratulations - sorry I was no help dealing with your cheesecake. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Will think of you and your mother-in-law when I make the gravy!
Thanks so much, and Happy Thanksgiving to you! (And it wasn't my cheesecake, BTW, it was a foodpickle question that I didn't understand.) Thanks for being so incredibly generous with your help, advice and feedback.
Congratulations, drbabs!! Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm making this later today for our Thanksgiving table. : )
: )
Congrats, Barbara!! What a sweet victory to add to a happy thanksgiving celebration!
Congratulations drbabs! This looks truly amazing; I can't wait to try it. Have a wonderful Turkey Day!
Congrats!!! Yay for you!!! Happy Thanksgiving Drbabs to you and yours... : )
It is in the oven NOW! It smells amazing and looks absolutely gorgeous! I'm making it for Thanksgiving. Thanks for the recipe...
It's my pleasure--I hope you and your family enjoy it! (Love your handle...)
Good luck Barbara! You'll have to make this for us when you come in town.
Congratulations! Looks delicious, and I love all the suggestions on varying ways to serve this, dessert, brunch, anytime!
hi i'd like to know what substitute i could find for molasses? could it be honey? in can't find it, or turbinado sugar in caracas, venezuela...only normal brown sugar. and royal gala apples.
also i wanted to ask you about balking the torte in those baking panshave are mini bundt molds as i'd love to give them as gifts for xmas. could i butter and sugar the molds for it cristallize on the cakes instead of the bottom, as in the ring mold for the original torte? many thanks, your fan from caracas, venezuela... janine
You can use brown sugar: "Substitute 1.5 cups brown sugar for every 1 cup molasses," according to this very useful site: http://www.foodsubs.com/Syrups.html The same site has a page for dry sweeteners that you might also find helpful. Also, you should go to the foodpickle portion of this site to ask your other questions. There is a link at the top of this page to "foodpickle." Unless it is very urgent, I suggest you wait until this Friday or over the weekend to post the question, as foodpickle is extremely busy with Thanksgiving emergency questions. ;o)
many thanks antonia for your suggestion. fortunately for this once a good friend offered to give me some molasses she brought back from usa. but i'll check for the foodpickle after thanksgiving( we don't have that custom here) and see ;)... janine
I love apple cakes and gingerbread but never would have thought to combine them. Can't wait to try this!
I hate Thanksgiving pies with a passion! {I suppose hate is a strong word. Pumpkin and pecan pies just are not my cup of tea.} Thanks for giving me a great little dessert to make that'll I'll actually enjoy! {And maybe even share.}
I've got a nut hater at my table this year. Does leaving out the walnuts affect this recipe too much?
I made this last night (having some for breakfast right now) and it was fabulous! I took some to my neighbor who promptly called me and said it was the best cake she ever ate! Thanks for a great recipe!
Happy Thanksgiving, drbabs! I wanted to mention that I will definately be making your recipe before the end of the year sometime, and good luck in the finals!
This looks yummy! I might have to test it on the family for Thanksgiving!
Thank you, seestor! We can make it together for Jingle Bells! Love you!
I'm not from the ginger lovers, but this cake is really good! Something new to be thankful for every year.
Congrats...Love this recipe though being allergic to walnuts I'd have to switch it up to pecans or almonds....
Thanks! I'm sure it would be good with either pecans or almonds or even no nuts at all.
Yeah Dr. Babs! Now I know what we're having for dessert this Thanksgiving!
You go drbabs! I love this recipe!
Congrats on being a finalist, drbabs!!! What an amazing looking cake.
Thanks, gingerroot. (when I typed your name into my phone, it came out honeypot. Isn't that cute? )
Congrats on a delicious sounding recipe. Makes me want to run into the kitchen right away. I loved Laurie Colwin and miss all her touching food essay & recipes. Thanks for paying tribute to her.
Thanks, sticksnscones. Her two cookbooks are my treasures. When my daughter was little, we did a lot of baking from those books.
This sounds like a great combination. Congratulations on being a finalist!
OMG this looks really fabulous, drbabs!!! No way I'm waiting until Thanksgiving to make this. Major congrats on being a finalist!!
Congratulations on being a finalist drbabs. Great looking cake.
Well, tom, I'm so happy you like my recipe, and I hope you try it.
Once again, you have the magic touch! Congrats and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi everyone! This is so exiting! I'm at a professional conference and just checked my email and found this! ! @aj, the cake keeps for 2 or 3 days, but the top loses its crunch. So if you want the crunchy top, you have to make it no more than a day ahead.
Congratulations drbabs!!!! Woo hoo!! I bet this smells terrific baking away in the oven.
Congrats, drbabs! I can't wait to make this one. A whole tablespoon of freshly grated ginger! Now you're talking. How does this hold? I.e., how far in advance of T-Day can I make it? Thanks so much. ;o)
Yay drbabs!!! Congrats on this beautiful torte!! This will be going on the table on Thursday!! : )
So many of my favorite things in one cake. This sounds absolutely delicious.
Thanks, Midge! Please let me know how you like it if you decide to make it.
Love this and plan to make it. I wept the day I heard that Laurie Colwin died. What a beautiful tribute this torte is. ;o)
Thanks. (I had the last piece for dinner last night. Yes, for dinner.) I wept, too when I heard that Laurie Colwin died. She was my idea of a great cook--loved food and cooking, and made it easy and approachable.
I'm on board with you in the make it ahead department! Even if it didn't come out as you envisioned, it looks great to me. And thanks for reminding me of Laurie Colwin's gingerbread!
Thanks--this is actually the 2nd version. The 1st had chunks of apple through it, and while it was delicious, I didn't look as pretty as this one.
How about a little crystallized ginger on this? Looks very timely for TG and through the holiday season...ps I love Laurie Colwin!
I've never used crystallized ginger. Is it very sweet? Welcome back. How was SF? (she asked jealously...)
It is sweet and pepper-y. Sorry to mess with your lovely recipe. I will try it out and report back...SF was incredible - see my tweets?
Oh, no, I appreciate the suggestions. It didn't come out exactly the way I envisioned it, so I'm going to tweak a few things and remake it today. Haven't seen your tweets yet, but I'll look now.
Absolutely love this! If I can't fit it on to the Thanksgiving menu, then Christmas for sure.
It would actually be good for brunch the next day if you're having overnight guests.
Yes, this would definitely go into the "Leftovers-for-Breakfast" food group. Really looking forward to making this, and having it leftover for breakfast! This one may even be on the sideboard on T-Day. Will be experimenting using other flours. Stay tuned . . . .;o)
I have a question about the recipe "Ginger Apple Torte" from drbabs.
I have a question about the recipe "Ginger Apple Torte" from drbabs.
Michael is a food critic and established cookbook author -- Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking is the most recent addition to his vast body of work.
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We have lots of measuring ahead of us! Lemon zest, molasses, rum, ginger, walnuts, vanilla, flour, baking soda, apple, turbinado sugar, light brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, butter, egg, milk, apple, and yogurt.
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Amanda torments Sarah, our photographer, by bringing the dreaded green Palmolive bottle into the frame!
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Makes sense to get the main measuring done first: the dry ingredients.
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Merrill slices Honey Crisp apples.
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To cook the apples, you first brown butter -- get it nice and nut brown!
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Merrill sauted the apples for a bit....
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then added some of the turbinado...
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and then we discovered that the apples were stewing, not caramelizing. We had a serious huddle about the matter.
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And made the executive decision to turn up the heat. We're geniuses! And we like our apples caramelized.
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Merrill uses the edge of a teaspoon to peel the ginger skin.
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Creaming the butter and light brown sugar. Make sure it gets super light in color -- this will tell you that air has been whipped into the mixture.
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Goofing off about something. Or maybe just making weird faces again.
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Who made this mess?!
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The molasses seeped into the creamed butter. Cool right?
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Then it curdles the mixture, but not to worry, it all comes together later.
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We carefully pour the dry ingredients into the mixer.
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This is the bottom layer of batter.
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Then the apples go on top, followed by the rest of the batter.
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Walnuts are the finishing touch.
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And this is the cake out of the oven -- we made one mistake, which is that this time we forgot to sprinkle the last two tablespoons of sugar on top. Usually, the cake has a glossy top!
This was delicious and easy to make. Turned out beautiful. It looks so nice when you serve it with the sliced apples in the middle. I watched your video clip also which I enjoyed. Great flavor, great recipe. Thanks