Apfelkuchen - Apple Cake

The perfect coffee cake. Preparation time is approximate based on rising time of the yeast. From the Wisconsin Dutch chapter of the United States Regional Cookbook, Culinary Arts Institute of Chicago, 1947.

• Ready In: 4 hrs
• Yields: 2 cakes

Ingredients

• 1  cake yeast
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 3⁄4 cup evaporated milk, and
• 3⁄4 cup water, mixed
• 5  cups flour, sifted
• 3⁄4 cup butter
• 1  cup sugar
• 3  eggs
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 6  apples (use a good baking apple, such as Granny Smith)
•  butter, melted
• 1 1⁄2 cups brown sugar (more if necessary)

Directions

1. Crumble yeast into a bowl; add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 cup of milk mixture.
2. Let stand until yeast is liquefied.
3. Add 1/2 cup of milk mixture and one cup of flour; beat until smooth.
4. Set in a warm place to rise, about two hours.
5. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and salt, beat well and add remaining diluted milk and flour alternatively.
6. Beat in yeast mixture.
7. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk or in refrigerator overnight.
8. When doubled in bulk, press dough out into a thin layer in well buttered 10 x 14 pans.
9. Wash apples, peel, core and cut into 1/4" thick slices; dip in butter and place in parallel rows on the dough, having apples slightly overlapping.
10. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar.
11. Preheat oven to 375°F.
12. Let dough rise until double in bulk, about 1/2 hour.
13. Bake for approximately 1/2 hour.