Provided by Whitney Wilson of Carb Crush @Carbcrushfrisco; @Carbcrush_ww
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Servings: 12
Nothing says fall quite like this delicious cake laden with seasonal spices and a crumbly topping. Gild the lily with a drizzle of creamy custard sauce.
Ingredients
Crumble:
- 3⁄4 cup flour
- 1⁄4 cup old fashioned oats
- 6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1⁄2 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1⁄2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
Cake:
- 1 1⁄4 lbs (approximately four large) apples, peeled and thinly sliced (Granny Smith, Honey-crisp, Royal Gala or a combination of these varieties) 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1⁄2 cup unsalted room-temperature butter
- 1⁄2 cup brown or granulated sugar
- 2 large, room-temperature eggs
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 1⁄2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 whole vanilla bean or 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- Pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar for dusting the finished cake
Optional Custard Sauce:
- 6 large room-temperature eggs yolks
- 6 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1⁄2 cups whole milk
- 1 whole vanilla bean or 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
- Splash of whiskey or bourbon (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place a parchment paper round (cut slightly larger than the bottom of the pan) into a 9-inch springform pan and spray with cooking spray.
For the crumble, place all of the ingredients in a small bowl and combine until crumbly with a sand-like texture (no flour should be visible). Refrigerate. Peel and thinly slice the apples; toss in lemon juice and set aside.
For the cake, in a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients and spices and set aside. In a stand mixer or a large bowl using a hand-held mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about two minutes). Add eggs one at a time,
Fully incorporating each egg. Add the heavy cream or whole milk until combined. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients on slow speed until combined (avoid overmixing).
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange apples on top. Spoon the crumble mixture evenly over the batter and fruit. Bake for 50 minutes, checking for brownness of the crumble after 35 minutes (cover with foil if browning too quickly). Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a slight crumble. Allow to cool on a rack for 15-20 minutes; remove the springform and place cake on a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar.
For the custard sauce, whisk room-temperature egg yolks with sugar until pale in color. Bring milk to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Drizzle some of the hot milk over the egg mixture while whisking quickly. Add the egg and milk mixture to the remaining milk in the saucepan and whisk until the mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Add the vanilla and optional whiskey or bourbon. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
