8-10 servings; 20 min preparation; 45 min cooking time.

Today I wanted something sweet and comforting, so I decided to make an apple pie. It’s still chilly outside, so I can’t imagine a better treat in this weather than an apple pie with caramel and cinnamon.

This cake is not so difficult to make. Although you have to be careful not the burn the caramel. It’s also important to pick the right kind of apple.

There are so many cultivars (more than 7500), but all of them are suitable to make a dessert. I used Kanzi, but you can use also Pink Lady, Elstar or Jonathan. Whatever sort you choose, make sure that the apple is sweet and lightly tart.

Ingredients

for the cake batter:

• 100 g all-purpose flour
• 100 g butter
• 80 g sugar
• 1 tbsp milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

for the caramelized apples:

• 3 apples
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 50 g butter
• 50 g sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees C/200 degrees F. Cover a spring form with parchment paper or grease it with butter.

Peel and cut the apples. The wedges should be evenly thick, so that they cook evenly. Squeeze lime juice on top so that they don’t get brown. Set aside.

Melt 50 g butter in a wide pan. Add 50 g sugar and cook until dissolved. Don’t stir, just shake the pan slightly. If you stir the caramel, it will crystallize. Add the apples and cook until caramelized and slightly soften. Transfer the apples to the spring form. Make a pattern of your choice and make it pretty, because it will be on the top of the cake. Heat the syrup of the apples on top. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the apples and set aside.

Whisk butter in a bowl. Add sugar in parts and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the eggs one by one as you continue whisking. Add the milk, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth. You can also use a food processor to mix the ingredients if you prefer. I mixed mine by hand.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour the mixture on top of the apples. Use a spatula to make smooth and even. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 min. If the top start to get dark, cover it with aluminium foil. Let the cake cool completely. Then turn it into a cake platter. Enjoy!