German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)

Lizzie Rodriquez's Note:

Epicurious | October 2000 The World of Jewish Desserts This is one of the many types of apple cake popular throughout central Europe. I have seen apple cakes, a traditional Rosh Hashannah dessert, served on Sabbath and holiday tables from Israel to Australia

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

BATTER

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter or 1 cup margarine , softened
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs , separated
• ½ cup milk
• 3 lbs cooking apples , Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Greening, Jonathan, Macoun, Pippin, Starr, Winesap, Yel (8 medium cored and diced, peeling is optional)

GLAZE

• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk or 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F Grease a kugelhopf or 10-inch Bundt pan.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the flour mixture and milk.
3. Beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold one-fourth of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites.
4. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread with half of the apples. Top with the remaining batter, then the remaining apples.
5. Bake until golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
6. To make the glaze if using: Combine all the glaze ingredients, stirring until smooth and of pouring consistency. Drizzle over the cake and let stand until set.

Reviews

[Lalaloula]

This cake is very, very yummy! The apples really are the star of the show and make the cake taste fresh and fruity. The batter is very airy and light with a great taste. It reminded us of a cake our local bakery makes, which we all like a lot. :) We only made 1/3 of the recipe and then realised the only dish small enough to hold the dough was a square pan. So, we didnt layer it as described, but it was still truly yummy and also nice to look at. Our apples were on the tart side, but we still only used half of the sugar called for and that way it was still sweet enough for us. THANKS SO MUCH for sharing this lovely recipe with us, Chef! It will be made again! Made and reviewed for one of my babies during PAC Fall 09.