Estonian Apple Cake

A moist, apple-y and cinnamon-y apple cake, almost a coffee cake, rustic and delicious.

TESTIMONIALS
"Tried the apple cake yesterday ... yum!" ~ LeAnne
"I made the Estonian apple cake recipe yesterday, and my family inhaled it.....very good." ~ Maria via Facebook

"WORLD NEIGHBORS."

If our apples are local, let our inspiration be global.

Three decades ago, my friend Pille grew up behind the Iron Curtain, imagining lives on the other side through a cookbook called World Dishes. Her favorite recipe became Kanada õunakook, Canadian Apple Cake. Last fall, I made Pille’s cake for a bake sale in my hometown on the Minnesota-Ontario border. Knowing locals would yawn at a ‘Canadian’ apple cake, I called it ‘Estonian’ apple cake and sure enough, it sold fast.

To fancy up a notch, serve this cake in a pool of crème anglaise (pronounced krem-ahn-GLEHZ), French for ‘English cream’, the runny custard.

CRÈME ANGLAISE Bring 1 cup half & half just to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk 2 egg yolks with 2 tablespoons sugar. Whisk hot liquid into the egg mixture, then return to saucepan and cook on medium, stirring continuously, until it just thickens. Stir in a splash of vanilla. Serve warm or cold. Makes 18 tablespoons.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Two Tablespoons: 29 Calories; 2g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 28mg Cholesterol; 6mg Sodium; 2g Carb; 0g Fiber; 1g Sugar; 1g Protein; Weight Watchers 1 point

ALANNA's TIPS This simple apple cake is mixed by hand so is especially good for new cooks. Besides, not everyone has (or wants) even a simple hand mixer, so I collect dessert recipes, no mixer required.

Melt butter in the microwave in a small bowl, using 10 - 15 second zaps so not to spatter.

Cinnamon is cinnamon, right? Wrong. Cinnamon is harvested all over the world. Some are spicier, some sweeter, some mellower. My favorite is Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cinnamon from Penzeys whose collection is a spice ‘n’ herb marvel.

ESTONIAN APPLE CAKE

A worldly, neighborly cake

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 90 minutes
Serves 9

1 egg
1/2 cup milk (skim is fine)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted (see TIPS)
1/2 cup (115g) sugar

1-1/4 cups flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 170g
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon (see TIPS)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, cored, chopped

4 tablespoons (57g) brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour, fluffed to aerate or 20g
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter

Preheat oven to 400F.

CAKE In a large bowl, whisk egg, then whisk in milk, butter and sugar. Scoop flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon onto wet mixture without mixing in. With whisk’s tip, lightly combine without mixing in. Now whisk dry mixture into wet mixture until just combined. Stir in apples. Transfer to a well-greased 9- or 10-inch round cake pan or an 8x8-inch square cake pan.

TOPPING In a bowl, mix topping ingredients with fingers until mealy, spread evenly atop batter.

BAKE & SERVE Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 15 – 30 minutes. Serve alone or with crème anglaise. Keeps 2 - 3 days.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Slice: 235 Calories; 4g Protein; 9g Tot Fat; 5g Sat Fat; 37g Carb; 1g Fiber; 278mg Sodium; 48mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 5 points

VARIATIONS

PEAR & GINGER CAKE | Just substitute ripe pears for the apples and ground ginger for the cinnamon. A delicious change from the apple original!

COOKING for DIABETICS | While this remains a 'dessert', it is possible to adapt this cake to use less sugar. Substitute 6 tablespoons of agave nectar for the sugar in the cake itself. Use whole grain flour (I had good luck with 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup while whole wheat flour.) Finally, use demerara sugar, an unrefined sugar made from sugar cane, for the topping instead of brown sugar.

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.

Do you have a favorite apple recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com.

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BLOGGING FRIENDSHIPS

When Pille visited the States in 2008, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting my blogging friend in person! Our meeting reminded me why I once wrote about the friendships that form among bloggers, "And when we meet, we're already friends." Pille's blog Nami-Nami (which means Yummy, Yummy in Estonian) is a fascinating window into the life of a young professional couple who live and work near the capital city of Tallin. Be sure to check out what she calls Canadian Apple Cake, also another apple recipe she posted just recently, Oven-Baked Toffee Apples.

More Sweet Apple Recipes

(hover for a description, click a photo for a recipe)

~ more dessert recipes ~

~ more recipes for fall ~

Apple Favorites from A Veggie Venture

~ Kohlrabi & Apple Slaw ~
~ Swedish Red Cabbage ~
~ Celery & Apple Salad ~

If you like Kitchen Parade's recipes, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, visit A Veggie Venture, my food blog, home to the Alphabet of Vegetables where there's a vegetable in every recipe and vegetables in every course.