Monday, March 16, 2009

Apple cake with toffee crust

Apple cake with toffee crust

Some food magazines have wonderful websites but I’d never considered Food & Wine’s to be one of them. After reading on a blog - sorry, I really can’t remember which one – about F&W’s new website I got really curious. A quick visit, a few clicks and I knew I’d be coming back for more. And I did, to get this great recipe.

The word toffee alone would be enough for me to try this cake, but pairing it with apples – the green ones I love so much – made it all perfect.

I guess many of you will be adding Food & Wine’s website to your bookmarks, too. And if you are responsible for my discovering it, please, speak up! :D

Apple cake with toffee crust

Apple cake with toffee crust
from Food & Wine magazine

3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ cups (300ml) vegetable oil
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 large Granny Smith apples—peeled, cored and cut into 1cm (½-inch) dice

Toffee crust:
½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
1 cup (175g) light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the cake: preheat the oven to 165ºC/325ºF. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform tube pan*.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking soda and whisk together. In a large bowl, whisk the oil with the granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Fold in the diced apples with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cream and brown sugar and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring. Remove the toffee glaze from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Place the warm cake (still in its pan) on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the hot glaze over the cake and let it seep into the cake, poking lightly with a toothpick or dried spaghetti. Let the cake cool completely, about 2 hours. Invert the cake onto a plate, and invert again onto another plate, right side up.

* I halved the recipe and used a 19cm ring pan

Serves 8

Apple cake with toffee crust

23 comments:

  1. That cake looks wonderfully moist...I'm drooling over here.

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  2. oh what a yummy cake. look at those holes filled with delicious toffee. Oh I m drooling so much :)

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  3. I love apple cake ... I make one almost every week. This looks like a nice change of pace. Love the idea of the toffee crust. Toffee and apples are such a natural. Love it!

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  4. I haven't looked at F&W's website in quite a long time... thanks for pointing me back to it - it looks a lot better! And the apple cake? YUM.

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  5. I am not going to let you tempt me to go and bake :)

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  6. I love anything with toffee on it!

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  7. apple cakes are a personal favorite for me, and to think about a crispy toffee crust makes me weak in the knees. bravo, patricia!

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  8. This is truly yummy Pat...what a great looking moist cake. It's very tempting & I have apples on hand...hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

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  9. This cake looks absolutely amazing. I love that toffee crust! Thanks for sharing!

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  10. This reminded me of apple toffee. I would probably eat all the topping.

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  11. That cake look so amazingly good!

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  12. Looks super moist and tasty! It would probably be great without the toffee too, but I don't think I'm going to risk it :D

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  13. I love their website! This cake sounds fabulous. I'm with you: the word toffee alone is enough to get my tummy growling, but pairing this with an apple cake, well, that's just heavenly! The cake looks fabulous.

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  14. Poormina Nair, it was very moist, indeed!
    Thank you!

    Natalie, I loved it how the icing got into the cake... YUM! :D

    Kelly, I love baking with apples, too. They turn into something almost magical in the oven.
    Thank you!

    Michelle, doesn't it? I'm glad you like the website, too!

    Cynthia, I promise I won't insist. ;)

    Pam, me too!

    Grace, thank you!

    Deeba, darling, hope you give it a go!

    Hayley, tks for visiting!

    Maya, I must admit it wasn't easy to resist it. :D

    Kevin, tks!

    Chris, very moist! Maybe the oil have something to do with it?

    Elyse, thank you, sweetie!

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  15. Oh my goodness .. that looks almost too good to be true! Apples, cake and toffee...this is a must try for me!

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  16. Oh my ... I was just looking at an apple cake on another blog then came to your blog to find an apple cake WITH A TOFFEE CRUST. I'm in heaven :-)

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  17. Yum anything apple I love and it looks so moist and rich. Its a must try.

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  18. This looks fantastic!!! I am a sucker for toffee anything.

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  19. Yum you always bake the most delicious looking things! I'm a sucker for anything that says "toffee" too.

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  20. This is the kind of cake that would be perfect with afternoon tea. I might even try it without the toffee topping, though I'm sure it would be so much better with it.

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  21. I have to admit that I'm absolutely, totally and eternally in love with this recipe. I discovered your blog and this recipe just couple of weeks ago, but I've managed to make this cake 3 times (once with rhubarb). It's genius, so simple and so delicious. My fav cake this year! THANK YOU! :D

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  22. Should I refrigerate this since it has cream in the sauce?

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  23. Hi Mary Beth - I did not refrigerate it and it was OK.

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Thank you for your comment!