Even though fall basically skipped us this year, I’m still all about these apples. Especially when they are literally falling out of this apple cake, flavored with Cognac and cardamom.
This recipe comes from the (truly beautiful) cookbook, Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone, with a little styling inspiration from Half Baked Harvest -per the usual. It was just too gorgeous not to try it out in my own kitchen. The batter is so moist from butter, buttermilk and the abundance of apple, both chopped up and folded into the batter and arranged on top. You cannot take a bite of this without getting a piece of apple.
Cardamom is such an underused spice in American baking, but I feel like it’s staging a comeback. I’ve seen it in so many more desserts lately and for good reason: it’s aromatic and warming, but without the spicy heat of cinnamon. I did add some cinnamon to the batter, because it’s so hard to for me to resist pairing apples and cinnamon. The recipe uses Cognac for a little extra flavor, but Calvados or brandy would be a great substitute.
I love love love my cast-iron skillet, especially when I can bake something in it. You can take it from oven to table without dirtying another plate! A little dusting of powdered sugar and a little whipped cream- or, even better, or ice cream- and you’re set to have the ultimate fall apple cake.
[tasty-recipe id=”38385″]
Leave a Reply