Apple Rosemary Cake is all about apples. I love it because not only is it easy, it's naturally gluten-free and low in added sugar as the apples themselves do most of the job of sweetening. You'll find that rosemary is an unexpectedly delicious partner for apples. It's a pairing I encountered long ago in Italy, and have been in love with ever since. Apples have varying amounts of sweetness, so depending on your tastes, you can mix a couple of your favorite apple varieties for this cake, say naturally sugary Golden Delicious with a tart apple like Braeburn, Cox, or Pink Lady to balance the flavors, but you don't have to. I've had delicious results with just Pink Lady. You don't need to peel the apples either, just core and thinly slice them - a mandoline does the quickest job of this. Enjoy this cake as a dessert with creme Anglaise, (aka custard), topped with a dollop of extra-thick cream, or simply cut a thick slice to have with your morning cup of coffee, a favorite breakfast treat in my house. It's really good. Try it.
AuthorAnn Ogden GaffneyCategoryBaked goods, Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Gluten Free, Mediterranean, Small plates and snacks, VegetarianDifficultyIntermediateWarm the butter, milk and vanilla together over a low heat. Cook until the butter has melted. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 175C - 170C fan ( 350F).Line a 9"/23cm loaf tin with parchment paper. Brush with melted butter. Set aside
Core the apples and thinly slice - a mandoline does the best job of this. Toss the apples with the rosemary and lemon juice unril well coated. Cover. Set aside while you make the batter.
In a small saucepan, warm together the milk, butter, and vanilla (or vanilla pod) over a low flame until the butter has melted. Turn off the heat and leave to cool.
In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Stir in the lemon zest. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl large enough to hold the apples and the batter, beat together the eggs and sugar until they are airy, creamy, and smooth.
Take the cooled milk and butter mixture. Remove the vanilla pod if using. Gradually beat in 1/2 of the milk and butter into the egg mixture, followed by half the flour. Repeat. You should have a light batter the consistency of heavy cream.
Tip the sliced apples into the batter - there will appear to be more apples than batter. Mix until the apple slices are well coated with batter. Carefully pull out around 20 of the best shaped slices. Set aside. You will decorate the top of the cake with them.
Spoon the apple mixture into the prepared tin, pushing it down into the pan, especially the corners, so that there are no air pockets. Drizzle any remaining batter over the top. Take the reserved slices. Place them on the top of the cake in a scallop pattern. Bake in the center of the oven for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Place the tin on a rack. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Lift the cake out onto the rack. Leave until completely cooled. To serve: sprinkle the top of the cake with a little fine caster sugar. Cut into thick slices. Serve with custard, vanilla ice cream, or my favorite, a dollop of extra-thick cream. (If you're serving the cake with ice cream, try frying the cut sides of the slices in a little butter to warm them up!)
As this cake really is all apples, it is best to choose a couple of different kinds to mix sweeter apples like Goldens, with tart/sweet varieties like Pink Ladies or Braeburns.
Instead of the vanilla paste, you can use 1/2 a vanilla pod to flavour the butter/milk mixture.
If you don't like the idea of rosemary, in step 2, add 1 tsp cinnamon +1 tsp grated nutmeg instead of the rosemary.
Interested in another apple cake? Try this!
