Monday, August 10, 2009

Kugelhopf with honeyed apples

Kugelhopf with honeyed apples / Kugelhopf com maçãs ao mel

One of the things I hate the most is being helpless over something - I want to change certain things but can’t. Feeling powerless drives me nuts and I don’t deal well with all the anxiety generated by my hands being tied. :S

But as far as my recipes are concerned I can take some action: this kugelhopf looked beautiful, but I did not have all the ingredients around; at least in my kitchen I can do things my way.

Kugelhopf with honeyed apples / Kugelhopf com maçãs ao mel

Kugelhopf with honeyed apples
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Kugelhopf:
1 egg
100ml warm milk
50g golden raisins
60ml (¼ cup) brandy
1 ¾ cups + ½ tablespoon (250g) all purpose flour
¼ cup (50g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon dried yeast
½ teaspoon salt
75g unsalted butter, softened
50g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped

Honeyed apples:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (224g) caster sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup (240ml) water
2 Gala apples, halved, then each half cut into quarters
2 cinnamon quills
3 tablespoons brandy

Start by making the kugelhopf: lightly whisk egg and milk together in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine raisins and brandy to soak and set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a food processor and process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add butter and process for 2 minutes, then add egg mixture and process until well combined. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour to stop dough from sticking, if necessary – I did the whole process in my Kitchen Aid, using the hook attachment, adding only 1 tablespoon flour.
Transfer to a lightly floured large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for 1½ hours or until dough doubles in size. Knead dough again on a lightly floured surface, adding chocolate and drained raisins (I did not add the brandy because the dough was very soft) kneading until combined.

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Lightly butter and flour a 5 cup-capacity, 16cm-diameter kugelhopf mould*, shaking excess flour from mould. Roll dough out into a log shape, long enough to fit mould, then join ends to form a circle. Carefully place log into mould and press dough down. Cover with a tea towel and stand for about 1 hour or until dough has risen to rim of mould. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown, then turn onto a wire rack to cool.

For honeyed apples, combine sugar, honey and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until mixture begins to simmer. Reduce heat to low, add apples, cinnamon and 1 ½ tablespoons brandy and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until apples are tender and caramelized. Remove from heat and stir in remaining brandy. Set aside to cool.

To serve, transfer kugelhopf to a serving plate, place honeyed apples around cake and drizzle some syrup over cake - I found the kugelhopf a little dry on its own, but the syrup solved that problem.

* a kugelhopf mould is turban-shaped. If unavailable, use a Bundt cake pan – I used a plain 5-cup capacity ring pan

Serves 6

Kugelhopf with honeyed apples / Kugelhopf com maçãs ao mel

12 comments:

Snooky doodle said...

this is spectacular! I like the addition of the honeyed apples. Sounds delicious!

Valerie Gamine said...

What a great way to use apples! Sometimes apple pie, as wonderful as it is, can be boring. I would love to try this with Pink Lady apples!

Julia @ Mélanger said...

I love how you have been able to substitute some ingredients so perfectly. Looks so lovely. Wish I could be enjoying with a nice cup of tea! :)

KJ said...

This looks lovely - so very elegant and deluxe. i like your little plates with the red flowers as well!

Joy said...

My god, Patricia, this is is major food P*rn. :D Looks so good!

Anshika said...

Worth all the effort you had out in making this. The picture looks so enticing. I really wonder how delicious it must be.

Katie said...

Looks delicious and a great use for apples. Love the subtle use of spices too

gine said...

oh ... looks yummy ^^ ... XOXO

Karine said...

This is the first time I hear about kugelhopf and it looks amazing! Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Natalie, thank you, darling!
The apples were so good, even on their own.

Valerina, thank you! I love baking with apples, their smell take over the whole kitchen, yum!

Julia, I would love to have you over for a slice of this and a cup of tea, sweetie!
xx

KJ, thank you! I'm a sucker for props. :D

Joy, haha, you crack me up, darling!
Thank you!

Lone Acorn, thank you - using my Kitchen Aid with the hook attachment saved me a lot of time and trouble. :D

Katie, thank you! I'm a huge spice fan.

Gine, thank you!
xx

Karine, thank YOU for stopping by! :D

eatme_delicious said...

This looks absolutely gorgeous Patricia! I love the way the crust was formed.

spice and more said...

Looks delicious - I like the sound of a more bread/brioche like kugelhopf as I have mostly eaten more cake like ones (if that makes sense!). I will have to give this a try.

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