Filomena's Apple Cake

When I first saw this recipe, I fell in love with how pretty it looks. In fact, it resembles a cake my mum brought back from work one day. Apparently, her co-worker made it. I thought it tasted really good and also, look good as well.

I liked this recipe by Tessa Kiros' friend's mother. Apparently, her friend was pretty pleased at how her cake looks. With a glance at the recipe, I knew it would taste very yummy and soft too. So I'm going to try out this pretty looking cake for the 7th day of Chinese New Year. In Chinese traditions, it is also known as 人日 which is known as the day human beings are created. This simply means that it is everyone's birthday on that day!! This means that this cake is going to be everyone's birthday cake! What a good excuse to make a cake :)

This recipe is from Tessa Kiros' Limoncello and Linen Water. Please see my modifications in blue.

Ingredients:

150g butter, softened (you can use unsalted butter and add 1/4 tsp salt)

150g caster sugar plus 2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs, separated

250g plain flour

2 tbsp potato flour or starch or almond flour

2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp milk

3 rennet apples (or other large red apples) about 220g each

Icing sugar (for dusting)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius. Butter and flour a round 24cm springform cake tin.
2. Using an electric beater, whip the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla extract, then add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
3. Whisk in the flour, potato flour/starch and baking powder, adding the milk as the mixture thickens to make a very thick batter. Scrape the mixture off the beaters into the bowl, then wash and dry them.
4. Use clean beaters to whip the egg whites to snowy peaks. Using a metal spoon, fold a scoop of the egg whites into the cake batter until evenly dispersed, then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.
5. Scrape into the prepared tin and level the surface.
6. Peel, core and halve the apples. Cut across the halves into slices of 4-5mm thick.
7. Starting at the centre of the cake, arrange the slices slightly obliquely, pushed halfway into the batter. Pack them tightly together, working your way outwards like petals of a rose. It may seem like too much apple but it will look lovely later. Scatter the extra tbsp sugar evenly over the top. 
8. Bake until the apples begin to get golden and some of the edges are dark, about 45 minutes, then cover with foil and continue baking for about a further 15 to 20 minutes or until the cake is ready. The middle should look ever-so-faintly gooey.*
9. Remove the foil and cool before removing from the tin. Serve dusted lightly with icing sugar.

*It is important that the cake is not overcooked as the edges and bottom will dry out.

Check out how the cake looks. Not too perfect or much like Filomena's I would say. Perhaps I need to polish up on my fruit cutting skills. I don't even have much to begin with =S

I would say that on a whole, this cake should be pretty moist. I happily put it into the oven and then realised after a good half hour or so, OOPS!! I forgot to scatter the sugar over the top. @@ Then I made the mistake of scattering it just before I covered the cake with foil. I should have just left it alone. Overall, I think the cake is not too bad but can be a little more moist.

I'm submitting this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs - Monthly Featured Chef Tessa Kiros. 

I'm also submitting this post to Simply Eggcellent#12 organized by Dominic of Belleau Kitchen.