Getting off the Grid with an Apple Torte
Last weekend my boyfriend I went apple picking. It was a beautiful fall day in Canada’s wine country.
This Sunday, I made my very first apple cake. Although I love the traditional apple crumble, I wasn’t ready to actually bake one. I made an Italian Apple Torte. It was spanking delicious! I picked up a few pounds of McIntosh Apples - which are excellent for baking!
Here’s the recipe:
You will need two apples. I used McIntosh apples that we picked from Parkways Orchards in Niagara On The Lake. They are tart and great for baking.
Peel and chop up one apple in small cubes. Peel and cut the second apple into 4 quarters and cut each quarter into thin slices.
Preheat the oven at 400F. Grease an 8”in baking pan and dust it with flower.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together 4 eggs, 1/3 cup of melted butter.
Add 1.5 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 3/4 cup of milk and a pinch of salt. Mix it with an electric mixer on a low setting. You may be able to sub milk with oat milk or non dairy alternative. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will next time!
Grate 1/2 lemon and add the lemon zest into the bowl. Continue to mix on low setting until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Add 1.5 cups of chopped apples.
Add mandolin sliced apples on top in a circular fashion.
Add slivers of butter in random places underneath the apples
Sprinkle sugar all over the apples (you can skip this part, but the McIntosh apples are a bit tart, so I opted to add sugar).
Bake it at 400F for 25 minutes on a lower rack. Lower the temperature to 375F and bake it for 35 minutes.
Check on the apple torte 30 minutes into the baking - you can put a toothpick into the dough to see if it’s ready. If the inside of the torte is runny or liquid, then you need to continue baking. If its fluffy and breaded, then its almost ready. I have an energy saving oven, so the cakes takes much longer to bake.