There's nothing quite like having an apple tree right outside your kitchen window. In autumn, the branches hang heavy with delicious Danish apples, and that's exactly when I start my preparations for the whole year. So I don't have to go without this treat outside of harvest season, I use my Nicer Dicer to grate kilos of apples into perfect slices and freeze them in portions. That way, I always have the right amount ready whenever the craving for this juicy cake strikes!
This recipe is based on a wonderful German blog recipe from Einfach Malene, but it's absolutely beloved by my Danish friends here in the north — especially when I serve it with a generous dollop of crème fraîche.
The Recipe (Original from "Einfach Malene")
The Ingredients:
- For the batter:
- 250 g flour (type 405)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 150 g sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 3 eggs (size M)
- 125 g butter (soft)
- 150 g Greek yogurt or homemade from fresh farm milk (makes the cake wonderfully moist!)
- For the topping:
- about 3-4 apples (or a portion of about 1 kilo of my frozen apple slices)
- lemon juice (so they don't turn brown)
- 2 tbsp sugar & 1 tsp cinnamon (for sprinkling)
Step-by-Step Instructions 1. Prepare: Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional heat). Grease a springform pan (or like I did today: a loaf pan) well. 2. The apples: Peel the fresh apples, core them and slice them (or simply grab the bag of prepared slices from the freezer).
Drizzle with a little lemon juice. 3. The batter: Beat the soft butter with sugar and vanilla sugar until pale and creamy. Stir in the eggs one at a time. 4. Dry ingredients: Mix flour, baking powder and salt, and stir them alternately with the Greek yogurt briefly into the batter.
Don't overmix so it stays fluffy! 5. Pour in: Put the batter in the pan and smooth it out. Distribute the apple slices evenly on top and press them lightly into the batter. 6. The finish: Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. 7.
Bake: Bake in the oven for about 45-55 minutes (with a loaf pan or frozen apples it can take up to 60-70 minutes — definitely do the toothpick test!).
My Serving Tip In Denmark, we love it creamy! Serve the cake best while still slightly warm with a really generous dollop of crème fraîche (or alternatively lightly sweetened whipped cream). The slight acidity of the crème fraîche pairs perfectly with the sweet apples and the cinnamon-sugar topping.
Have fun baking and hilsen fra Danmark!
