Spiced apple cake by Ottolenghi

A warm apple pie straight from the oven is, of course, already the best thing that can happen to a person. Now there’s also apple pie—or, well, apple cake—from none other than Yotam Ottolenghi. If this doesn’t make your day, I don’t know what will.

‘You can eat this cake on its own, warm or at room temperature, or serve it as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cake should be eaten on the day it is baked, or the following day—if so, store it in a tightly sealed tin to keep the flavour at its best.’

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Grease a 23 cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper.

2. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs and vanilla until everything is combined. Sift the self-raising flour with the salt and add it alternately with the sour cream in several portions to the butter mixture. Turn off the mixer as soon as everything is combined. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and set aside.

3. Put all the apple slices in a bowl. Mix the sugar with the spices and sprinkle it over the apples. Toss everything together and arrange the apples over the batter in the tin. Bake the cake for 60–65 minutes, until the batter has risen and the apples are crisp, firm and golden brown. A knife inserted into the cake will not come out dry because the apples are moist, but you can check whether the cake is done by shaking the tin: the top should no longer wobble.

4. Remove the tin from the oven and set it aside for approximately 30 minutes before removing the cake.

5. Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature. Preferably cut it with a serrated knife to prevent the apple slices from tearing.

Title: Simpel
Author: Yotam Ottolenghi
Publisher: Fontaine Uitgevers
Price: €29.99

Photography: Jonathan Lovekin