Invisible Apple Cake

 

How do I explain this cake… or, really, sing its praises enough? The recipe came into my life from two sources simultaneously: Coup de Pouce (which had a half-dozen apple recipes in the fall of 2024, and the others I tried were not so great) and Smitten Kitchen (which never lets me down). Since the ingredients were ostensibly the same, but the amounts differed slightly and Smitten Kitchen had a proper weight of apples, I went with that one, and I am so glad I did!

The cake batter is very much like crêpe batter, the cake itself is not too sweet, and I cannot oversell it. You’ll want a variety of apples that tend to stay firm, like Granny Smith. Make sure that your pan is big enough – my loaf pan measures 9”x5” at the top and it was very full. If yours is smaller, bake some of the batter in greased muffin tins – as Deb Perelman says, it will not go to waste.

I want to mention also that I gave this recipe to my mother last fall after she went apple picking and was looking for a good recipe to use up some of that bounty. She complained while making it because placing the apple slices can be finicky, and once it was in the oven she was sort of thinking she wouldn’t make it again. But then she and my dad tasted it, and… it’s now a favorite. I don’t have access to apple orchards here in Texas, and it doesn’t feel like fall yet, but I’ll be sure to make it again this week!

2 ¼ to 2 ½ pounds (1 to 1.15kg) apples, such as Granny Smith or Mutsu
juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted lactose-free butter, melted
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup lactose-free milk
2 tablespoons (40 grams) apricot preserves or apple jelly, warmed
powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 °F.

Coat the short ends of a loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray. Line the bottom and two long sides of the pan with a piece of parchment paper. Place the loaf pan on a rimmed baking sheet, just in case there’s overflow.

Peel and core your apples, then slice them very thinly (about 1/8-inch or 1/3-cm thick). A mandoline works great for this. Place apples in a large bowl and gently toss with lemon juice.

Melt butter in a medium bowl. Whisk in sugar and salt, then eggs and vanilla, until evenly incorporated. Whisk in flour until smooth, then milk. Pour batter over sliced apples, then stir and turn the apples a few times so that they’re evenly coated. This is much easier to do with your (clean) hands. Push about a dozen full slices to the side of the bowl for the final layer.

Arrange the remaining apple slices slightly overlapped around the prepared loaf pan, pushing the straight edges against the sides for the neatest appearance. (Once again, using your hands is easiest for this.) Use any smaller or broken apples to fill any center gap. By the time you’re down to just batter and a few scraps of apple, just pour it over and then use your hands to push the pieces around until it’s level. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles. Use the apple slices you pushed aside to decorate the top, fanning them into a flower pattern if you wish.

Bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter free and doesn’t feel like it’s spearing any raw/crunchy apples. Transfer to a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then brush top with warmed apricot preserves and let cool completely in the pan. The cake will be puffed at first and will settle flat as it cools.

Once cooled to room temperature, use a knife to loosen the cake from the short ends of the pan. Use the sling of parchment paper around the longer sides of the cake to help lift it out of the pan. Remove parchment paper and transfer to a serving plate. Cut into slices. Dust with powdered sugar, if using. (This cake keeps fantastically in the fridge for 5 to 6 days. Bring back to room temperature before serving.)