FRENCH APPLE CAKE

There was an era in my life,the dark ages, when I hated anything to do with baked apples. I totally hated it with all of my heart. If it had cinnamon sprinkled over, then just forget it! I had my first bite of an apple pie from a coffee shop in Bangalore and it was just cinnamon coated apples in some pathetic pastry. That was enough for me. I wouldn't even dream of eating an apple pie after that!
It all changed the day I decided to make my favourite Apple & Cardamom Cake. It is to die for!

Living in America for the past almost 4 years has changed me in the way I look at baked apples. Here, they make such amazing things with apples and cinnamon.The apple pies you get here,especially homemade ones are really to die for! It's just apples wrapped in pastry but there is really some magic in it.I eat a lot of fresh apples,especially the HoneyCrisp,when in season.I wanted to make an apple pie today but thought of baking an apple cake when I saw Dorie's recipe.

Jobin's mom is visiting us now and she loves all the cakes I bake. She particularly loved that Apple & Cardamom Cake I made a few years ago. It was a simple yet truly delectable one bowl apple cake.If you know me, I don't like to bake the same things again and again...except for that rich dark Chocolate cake that I bake almost every week. It's a staple in our house. So, if you ever drop in...that might be your snack :-)

Ian adores cakes.He was fast alseep when I baked it but wide awake while I was photographing it. So, he decided to photobomb for the most part until Jobin's mom came to the rescue. He says 'Mam' for food. So, that was one word he kept saying when I was busy and I couldn't stop myself from slicing it up for him.The photographs can be imperfect :-)

FRENCH APPLE CAKE
Ingredients:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted & cooled
3 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 medium apples

Method: Preheat the oven to 350F and butter an 8inch springform tin.Line it with parchment.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt & set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy . Add the sugar and whisk till well blended.Add half the amount of flour and whisk it in. Add half the melted butter and whisk it in.Blend in the remaining flour followed by the melted butter .Add the peeled and diced apples and fold it in with a rubber spatula.Pour into the prepared tin and level it. Place the cake tin over a parchment lined baking tin and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let it cool almost completely and then run a knife around it to make sure no apple pieces are sticking to the pan . Invert onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely.

The aroma while this cake bakes is so good!This cake has a nice golden brown colour on top which may make you think that it's like a well set cake on the inside. Actually, it's a very moist,almost custardy kind of a cake filled with apples. It's mildly sweet with a nice touch from the rum which will make you grab another slice.Ian enjoyed eating it from the tiny bites he could manage from us,so did the rest of us!

Wishing you all a prosperous 2014!