SPICED APPLE CAKEActive Time: 25 min.
Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min., plus cooling
Serves: 12This cake also makes a lovely
addition to a breakfast or brunch
table. Try it with a dollop of sour
cream, or as a sweet counterpoint
to bacon and eggs.
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
and cooled slightly, plus
more, room temperature,
for brushing
2 cups unbleached
all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream
2 Granny Smith apples,
peeled and cut crosswise
into scant ¼-inch rounds,
seeds removed
2 tablespoons fresh
lemon juice
⅓ cup apricot jam- Preheat oven to 375°. Brush
a 9-by-13-inch baking dish
with butter. Line bottom and
2 long sides with parchment,
leaving a 2-inch overhang;
butter parchment. - Whisk together flour, baking
powder, salt, baking soda,
allspice, and ginger. In a large
bowl, whisk eggs until pale
and foamy. Whisk in sugar and
vanilla until combined. Add
half of flour mixture, then half of
butter and sour cream, whisk-
ing just until combined. Repeat
with remaining flour mixture,
butter, and sour cream (do not
overmix). Transfer batter to
prepared baking dish, smooth-
ing top with a spatula. - Toss apples with lemon juice
and scatter evenly over batter.
Bake until apples are tender and
golden brown in places and a
2 tablespoons apple-cider
vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper,
plus more for serving
(optional)
1 ½ cups roasted unsalted
Virginia peanuts
Vanilla ice cream, for serving- Preheat oven to 375°. On a
lightly floured work surface, roll
out dough to an 11-inch round.
Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish;
trim edges to a ½-inch overhang.
Tuck overhang under and
crimp edges with the tines of
a fork; freeze until firm, about
15 minutes.
2. Line crust with parchment
and fill with dried beans or pie
weights. Bake until bottom
no longer looks wet, about 25
minutes. Carefully remove
parchment and beans; continue
baking until light golden, about
10 minutes more. Let cool com-
pletely on a wire rack.
3. Whisk eggs in a large bowl.
Add butter, brown sugar, syrup,
vinegar, flour, salt, vanilla, and
cayenne; whisk until smooth.
Coarsely chop 1 cup peanuts and
stir into egg mixture, then pour
into cooled crust. Scatter re-
maining ½ cup peanuts evenly
over top. - Bake until crust is golden brown
and filling is puffed slightly and
set, 40 to 50 minutes (if crust is
browning too quickly, tent with
foil). Let cool completely on
wire rack. Slice and serve, with
scoops of ice cream lightly sprin-
kled with cayenne.
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THE HANDBOOK Recipes