For a more original flavor, we opt for this Italian apple cake recipe.
A classic of French pastry, apple cake is appreciated for its comforting flavor and aroma in winter. If it is generally composed of a dough, apples of different varieties – from Golden Delicious to Reinette -, sugar, eggs, flour, butter and yeast, a particular aroma finishes it off. If cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg are the most used spices, apple cake has a more flavored version of which only Italian mammas have the secret.
Ready to add a more Mediterranean touch to your apple cake? Start by washing and peeling 3 large apples (around 600 grams). Cut two into thin slices and one into small cubes. Sift 190 grams of type 00 flour (the Italian favorite) with 90 grams of potato starch and a sachet of baking powder for dessert. Set the preparation aside.
Take out a large bowl and whisk 3 medium-sized eggs that have been taken out of the fridge in advance so that they are at room temperature. Add 175 grams of sugar until you obtain a homogeneous mixture, light and fluffy. Add 125 grams of natural yogurt, again at room temperature, a very important element for the success of the recipe! Mix, then add the zest of half a lemon, a teaspoon of vanilla extract (or a sachet of vanillin) and whisk briefly, then add half of the sifted flours. Add 70 grams of peanut oil to the preparation.
It is at this stage of the recipe that the secret ingredient of Italian mammas comes into play. We crumble 6 amaretti biscuits, these delicious traditional Italian cakes, with a very characteristic bitter almond flavor. We incorporate them into the preparation then we finally add the rest of the flour mixture, until we obtain, once again, a soft and foamy dough. Add the small apple cubes to the mixture.
Place in the oven which will have been preheated to 180°C! Pour the foamy mixture into a cake mold of approximately 26 centimeters previously buttered and floured. Distribute the slices of the other two apples over the surface of the cake. Bake for around 45 minutes, monitoring cooking using a toothpick test. If necessary, do not hesitate to extend for a few minutes. Be careful that the surface of the cake does not blacken at the end, otherwise cover it with aluminum foil.
When your apple cake is ready, let it cool (the ideal is to let it rest for about an hour) and sprinkle it with icing sugar according to your preferences. This Italian apple pie with the sweet flavor of amaretto can be kept for three days at room temperature. Enjoy your food !