Classic German Apple Cake - Recipe by Eva and Maria Konecsny.

Ingredients

As a child, our mother spent her Summers in their huge garden with an old apple orchard. In Autumn, when the apples were harvested, everyone had to help and they were made into apple sauce or apple juice. Money was tight in the late 1950s and early 1960s and nothing went to waste. The children participated unwillingly, much preferring to use the apples to throw at each other when playing in the orchard with neighbourhood friends, making sure their parents would not witness this wasteful behaviour. Our grandmother, Eva, whom I am named after, also made a version of this apple cakes. Unfortunately we don't have her original recipe, but Mum says this is pretty close. - Eva


150g salted butter, at room temperature, plus 30 g melted butter
150g white sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp ground cassia*
¼ tsp ground cloves*
¼ tsp ground nutmeg*
1 tsp dried rose petals*, crushed by rubbing between your fingertips
150g self-raising flour
75g ground almonds
A few Tbs full-cream milk, if needed
4–5 small to medium apples
2–3 tsp icing sugar
Ice cream, cream or custard, to serve

*Spice shortcuts
4 tsp Gewürzhaus Apple Cake Spice.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Grease and flour a 23 cm round springform cake tin and shake out the excess flour.
Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl for about 5 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Once combined, add the spices and rose petals and beat thoroughly for a few minutes.

Sift in the flour and add the ground almonds, then beat until combined. The batter should be quite firm. However, if it is too stiff, you may need to add a few tablespoons of milk to loosen it. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared tin.

Peel the apples, cut them in half and remove the cores. With their flat-side down, cut slits a few millimetres apart into each half, stopping just shy of the centre. Take care not to cut right through.

Place the apple halves, slit-side up, in a circle around the edge of the cake, with one in the middle, and gently press them 5 mm into the batter. Brush the apple with some of the melted butter and bake for about 30 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter, then bake for a further 10–15 minutes, until golden brown. Insert a wooden skewer into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. If it comes out sticky, cook for a further 5 minutes, then test again.

Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. When the cake is cold, shake the icing sugar over it with a sieve. The cake is best served with ice cream, cream or custard. It will keep for 1 week in an airtight container stored in a cool place.

Cook's Notes:
To make this gluten free, replace the flour with buckwheat flour and add 2–3 tsp gluten-free baking powder.

Credits: This is an extract from Kindred by Maria and Eva Konecsny. Provided by Gewürzhaus

Photo Credits: This is an extract from Kindred by Maria and Eva Konecsny. Provided by Gewürzhaus