Balzano Apple Cake

Moist and oh so delicious...

While the contestants on MasterChef was shucking their 4-dozen oysters to make oyster terrines on T.V, I was busy in the kitchen slicing my apples as finely as I could. While my job is not quite comparable to their task, I was almost losing my patience and thinking in my head, 'I'll know better to stick with banana cakes next time!'

Some days, I'm just lazy like that. But in hindsight, it's so worth it!

I was so keen to make this cake because this just shouts simple and homey to me. I also happen to adore cakes with fruits because I don't have to add too much sugar (everytime when I put sugar into my batter - I think of the diabetes episode on Oprah which was truly frightening).

I halved the amount of sugar in the recipe, and it was still a tad too sweet for my liking. That is just a personal preference.

sifting the flour into the egg batter

Pouring apple batter into pan...

All ready to bake!

50 minutes later....golden goodness!

Looks a bit like potato gratin, doesn't it?

Balzano Apple Cake
Adapted from New York Times 2004 and AlexandraCooks
Serves 8

• 1 stick butter, plus more for greasing pan (around 113 grams)
• parchment paper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean 

• 4 Fuji apples (I used 5 small Fuji apples)
• ½ cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt such as fleur de sel
• ½ cup milk at room temperature
• powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350ºF (190ºC). Grease a nine-inch-circle pan with butter. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and place inside pan.

Melt butter in small saucepan. Set aside. Beat together eggs and half of sugar in a bowl. Continue to beat while slowly adding remaining sugar until thick — it should form a ribbon when dropped from spoon.

Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape seeds into the egg-sugar mixture and add pod to melted butter.

Peel apples and cut straight down around the core into four big chunks. Discard the core then slice the apple pieces thinly.

Remove vanilla pod from butter and discard. Stir butter into sugar-egg mixture. Combine flour, salt and baking powder, then stir into batter alternating with the milk. Stir in apples, coating every piece with batter. Pour batter into pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes more, until cake pulls away from pan and is brown on top. (A thin-bladed knife inserted into the center will come out clean when it is done.) Cool 30 minutes, then cut into wedges sprinkling each with powdered sugar if desired.

A piece before I sleep, a piece after I wake up...

Verdict?

This is one of my new favourite cakes. Even bite is filled with soft caramelised apple crunch and it's moist and can be eaten anytime during the day ;-)