Apple cake with caramel glaze, what we need now

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets caramel, coffeetime, confinement, merienda, postre de manzana, tarta de manzana, teatime

We all need some comfort at this time in our lives – this time in humanity‘s life –, and apple cake falls into the category of comfort foods (anything apple, including apple tart, or apple ring fritters). As I’m writing this, in the warmth of confinement at my home in Fort Wayne, I should be in Santa Barbara, California, visiting my son Matthew, whom I haven’t seen since Christmas.

Holy Week starts Sunday, and many of you had plans to go to the beach, to go skiing, or to participate in the many religious celebrations that would be happening in all parts of the Christian world. No, this is not normal, and one day we will tell our  descendants about the pandemic of 2020, when the whole world came to a stop to try to stave off the infection.

I’m sad we are not visiting Matthew at this time. But Ethan is home, and in our ideal world before the pandemic, he should have been in Miami, at college. I’m trying to find the positive in the negative, the light in the darkness. 

The confinement has brought families closer together, has given precious time for busy parents to be with our children, to tackle projects, to do things we would have never had time to do. There’s an explosion of creativity that we can see in the media, and in any social media outlet. My youngest son David is composing, playing guitar and piano at all hours of the day, and building a following through YouTube and Instagram with his music. He’s collaborating with musicians  of all ages and across long distances, editing and publishing the resulting videos, and mastering every aspect of what he does (you can check him out at @davidanderson.music on Instagram). So much good will come out of this. 

If you’ve been affected by the infection, things are not so rosy, and I feel for the families that have lost a loved one and haven’t had a chance to spend the last hours, the last days with them, who haven’t even been able to give them a proper funeral and burial. The victims are being counted by the thousands, and for each one of the families it’s a tragedy of gigantic proportions.

All humans need the comfort and closeness of our loved ones, the comfort of food, of memories of sunnier, happy days. I know many of you are baking more than usual, and as long as you’ve found an exercise routine you can do at home, what’s wrong with eating a bit more of those foods that make us feel good? Apple cake might be one of those dishes, and as my sister Paula says, it’s America’s aroma. Land in an American airport and boom: allspice and cinnamon fill the air. 

This apple cake is served with a caramel glaze that makes it oh so sweet. I have it without the caramel, but the ones with a sweeter tooth love it with a layer of the glaze –there are some of those at home! I like to have a slice for breakfast or afternoon tea, while most of my family will have it as dessert, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Some notes: the springform pan I used to make it results in a thick cake, so in order not to burn the edges, I take it out of the oven when the center is still slightly soft, or when a toothpick inserted in the middle to check for doneness doesn’t come out completely clean. We all like it that way at home, but you can use a larger than a 9-inch diameter pan and get a thinner cake. Just remember to adjust the baking time accordingly. 

This post includes photos from our “lasts”: the last time Matthew was home, and the last trip to downtown Fort Wayne when Ethan came home for springbreak —little did we know then he would stay home for the remainder of the school year.  

We’ll be together again.

Have a happy weekend and a blessed Holy Week.

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APPLE CAKE WITH CARAMEL GLAZE

Tarta de manzana con glaseado de caramelo

Author: Natacha Sanz Caballero, Mama Ía blog

Equipment

• 9-inch springform pan
• Mandoline

Ingredients

For the cake

• 3 apples I used pink lady
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbs orange blossom water
• 2 1/4 cups + 2 Tbs granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature plus more for brushing
• A pinch of salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs baking powder

For the glaze

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs water
• 2 Tbs heavy cream
• 2 Tbs butter

Instructions

Make the cake:

• Peel and slice the apples finely (I cut them in half and slice them through a mandoline). In a large bowl toss the apple slices with the ginger, cinnamon, orange blossom water and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
• In a standup mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter with the 2 1/4 cups of sugar, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Beat in the baking powder. The batter will be somewhat thick and sticky.
• Cut about 10 macerated apple slices into smaller pieces and incorporate them top the batter. Spread the batter in the buttered springform pan and smooth with a spreader. Arrange the remaining apple slices in concentric circles slightly overlapping the slices. Cover the whole surface. Drizzle the juices over the top.
• Bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes, checking for doneness about 10 minutes before taking the cake out of the oven. This is a pretty thick cake so I find it is better to leave the center slightly undercooked in order to not to burn the edges.The center will continue cooking after you take the cake out of the oven.

Make the glaze:

• In a small saucepan place the granulated sugar and the water. Place on the stovetop and simmer, swirling once in a while, until the sugar turns amber color, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the cream and the butter and whisk until a caramel forms, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the cake to a rack and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the spring ring and brush the top of the cake with the glaze.
• Let cool slightly and serve at room temperature