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A moist and sweet gluten-free apple cake with sour cream.
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Tis the season for flourless cakes, so I thought I might reprise one of my first gluten-free recipes, based on a traditional Jewish apple cake recipe I had used for years. Using nut meal instead of flour is a baking tradition in Eastern Europe and a favorite way to make a cake during the season of Passover. Almond meal makes this cake a dense, chewy and delicious dessert or a perfect snack with tea.
Karina's Jewish Apple Cake Recipe with Sour Cream
Almond meal gives this gluten-free wheat-free apple cake a satisfying chewy texture. Both blanched and regular almond meal works. Blanched almonds produce a slightly softer flour.
Ingredients:
5 medium apples, room temperature, peeled, cored (I use a mix of both tart and sweet apples)
A little lemon juice for spritzing the apples
Wet ingredients:
3 large organic free-range eggs
1 cup packed organic light brown sugar
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract
[or use Kosher vanilla powder
, to taste]
3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1/4 cup sour cream
Dry ingredients:
2 cups almond flour aka almond meal
1/4 cup rice or sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch or tapioca starch
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder* see notes
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon McCormick Apple Pie Spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or cardamom
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
To assemble:
Organic light brown sugar
1/2 cup pecan or walnut halves
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 10-inch Springform pan
with greased parchment paper. Springform pans are deeper than average cake pans.
Chop the apples and toss them into a bowl; spritz with a little fresh lemon juice. Toss to coat.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs with the sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla, oil and sour cream; beat to combine.
Stir together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly add them into the wet mixture and combine well.
Drain the apples, if necessary (you don't need any extra lemon juice). Toss them in a light sprinkle of cane sugar.
Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan.
Add the drained sugared apples into the batter. Shake the pan a bit.
Add half of the nuts.
Pour the remaining batter on top of the apples; shake the pan again to distribute the batter around the apple pieces.
Add the rest of the nuts to the top and lightly press in.
Bake in the center of a preheated oven. The cake should be done in about 60 to 70 minutes. Test for doneness with a small thin knife. If the cake begins to over-brown before it is done, cover the edges loosely with pieces of foil.
Cool on a rack for ten ten to fifteen minutes. Loosen the cake gently from the sides of the pan with a thin spatula. Release the clasp and remove the pan ring. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
Serve warm or room temperature.
Wrap up leftover cake slices individually in foil; seal in a freezer bag, and freeze. To thaw, unwrap and allow the cake to reach room temperature.
Servings: 8 - 10
Enjoy sugary treats in moderation. Gluten-Free Goddess advises consuming no more than 2 tablespoons of sugar a day.
Recipe Notes:
As always, make sure the oven is preheated.
I used large eggs, not extra large.
Make sure the apples are drained well and not cold.
If you use a smaller cake pan the cake may stay wet in the center.
I baked this cake at sea level and it took an hour; but as always, go by your own experiential wisdom. If the cake needs a bit longer to bake, please do so, and keep an eye on it.
Sometimes I mix it up and use a combo of pears and apples.
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