Friday, September 5, 2014

French Apple-Almond Butter Cake & A Few Tips for Storing Apples

By: The Food Hunter

From the time we are young, we are exposed to sayings such as "American as apple pie" or "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" and we are encouraged to give an apple to our teacher if we want to be the favorite student. Far from simply being a part of the American culinary tradition, apples are engrained in American culture.

Apple season is kicked off with National Apple Week in August and continues through November in most areas. But if properly stored apples can last up to 5 months providing you with nutritious fresh fruit well into spring. 

Tips for Storing Apples 
(from Nielsen-Massey Vanilla)

After returning from the apple orchard, farm stand or store, follow these recommendations to store your bounty. If properly stored, some apple varieties can last up to five months, providing you with nutritious fresh fruit well into spring.

1. Choose tart, thicker-skinned apples, such as Jonathan, Fuji, or Granny Smiths, for storage.

2. Remove any apples with bruises or soft spots. It is true that "one bad apple will spoil the bunch," so set these apples aside for eating or baking with first.

3. Place apples in a perforated plastic bag, crate, or cardboard box to allow for air circulation and store between 30 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Storing below 30 degrees will cause apples to freeze, while storing above 35 degrees will cause them to ripen too quickly.

4.Check your supply regularly for soft or spoiled fruit and remove these apples right away.

French Apple-Almond Butter Cake
(Serves 8)(adapted from Nielsen-Massey)
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1½ -sticks) unsalted butter
2 medium Fuji apples
2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar (for apple pieces)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Almond Extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch light color, non-stick cake pan with cooking spray; line the bottom of the cake pan with a piece of parchment paper; set aside.

In a small bowl, add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, whisk to combine; set aside. In a small saucepan, melt butter; set aside to cool. Peel, core and cut apples into ¼-inch pieces, place in a medium bowl and mix with brown sugar; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape bowl sides with a rubber spatula as needed. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla extract and almond extract; beat to combine. Gradually add the dry ingredients beat on low, just until incorporated.

With a rubber spatula, fold in 2 cups of prepared apple pieces into batter; pour batter into baking pan and evenly spread. Place remaining cup of apple pieces over top of cake batter. Bake until done, about 35-40 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and run a knife around sides of cake. Let stand for 10 minutes and turn onto a wire rack; remove parchment and turn onto second wire rack to cool.

19 comments:

  1. Apples in cake for the win!! Looks moist and delicious!

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  2. I love adding apples/applesauce to recipes to add moisture. This cake must be so moist and delish!

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  3. I am loving this cake! I will save this for when I have a gazillion apples when I go apple picking this year!

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  4. Oh man, I could have totally used this recipe a few weeks ago when I had tons of apples to use up! Looks like I'll just have to go buy some more!

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  5. Mmmm...anything almond-scented is always a favorite of mime. Also love apples, and soon we'll have a bunch. Saving to try!

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  6. I love this! The combination sounds wonderful!

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  7. Lovely cake and good tips for storing apples. Blessings, Katherine

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  8. I'm so lucky to live in an area with many apple orchards, so I'm always looking for new recipes to use them in. Love this pretty one layer European-style cake! Yum.

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  9. This is amazing. I love apple cakes and this one looks like sheer perfection to me.

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  10. Beautiful! I want it with a nice big dollop of whipped cream ;)

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  11. I love the flavors of fall- apples and almonds. This cake looks magnificent! I kinda want a slice with my coffee right now!

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  12. Great tips for properly storing apples. The only thing missing is a slice of your gorgeous cake in front of me...right now!

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  13. Oooo this looks so good! Gotta love fall recipes! :)

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  14. This cake looks beautiful! I'd fancy a pac man situation. Anyway, great tips on how to store apples. Can you believe I thought "1 bad Apple spoils the whole bunch" was just saying? Sigh... I'm such an ignoramus.

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  15. I happen to have a gazillion apples around! Hello Cake!

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