Easy Apple Cake with Almonds
An easy to make apple cake that's flavored with almond extract and topped with flaked almonds. Cinnamon apples bake right into the cake, creating a soft, fruity layer. The outside bakes up slightly crunchy and sweet, making a nice contrast to the moist, tender cake inside.
Materials
- 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (110 g) butter (softened)
- 1 cup (190 g) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (or 1 tsp vanilla, if you prefer)
For the Apple Topping
- 2 large apples, peeled and cut into thin slices
- juice of half a lemon
- ¼ cup (45 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons almond slices (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C). Butter or spray an 8 inch square baking pan or a pan of a similar size.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and almond extract. Add the flour mixture, beating until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss the apple slices with the lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon. Arrange apple slices in a concentric circle or overlapping rows or however you want to arrange them on top of the batter. Sprinkle almond slices on top of the apples, if using.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until light golden brown. Check cake often, as it can get fairly dark very quickly at the end of baking. (A cake tester may come out a little moist, as the apple layer will be very soft.) Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream (see notes) or ice cream, if desired!
Notes
-To make whipped cream: combine 3/4 cup (160 ml) cold, heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or 1 tablespoon bourbon) in a medium bowl. Whisk or beat with an electric mixer until very soft peaks form. Store any leftover whipped cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
-do take care to check on the cake during the last 5-8 minutes of baking. You'll want it to be a light, golden brown. The sugar caramelizes very quickly and can make the outside too crunchy if over baked.
-to make a larger cake, double the recipe and bake in a 9" by 13" pan.
-recipe adapted from Mad Hungry, Feeding Men and Boys by Lucinda Scala Quinn.