Many German bakeries put their own spin on this cake, ranging from yeasted to baking powder leavened, lined with a dense pastry almost like a tart; sometimes spiced, light and airy, or buttery and dense. The recipe below is my preferred style – slightly spiced, buttery, and light – more of a cake than a tart. I like using Granny Smiths for the tartness.
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together.
Cut the cold butter into small pieces. Press it into flour with your fingers until it is crumbly.
Whisk milk and egg in a small bowl and then add to flour. Stir until it just forms a batter. It should be thick.
Spoon mixture into a prepared 9-inch springform pan. Spread evenly across the bottom of the pan.
Peel, core, and slice apples then spread evenly over the cake batter. You can make patterns by choosing what direction to place these! Bake for 20 minutes.
Make the custard. Whisk 1/4 of the heavy cream and 2 tsp flour in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Add the rest of the cream, sugar, egg, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
When the cake reaches the 20-minute mark, take it out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C). Pour the custard over the top of the cake.
Place back in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and the top springs back when you touch it. Don’t overbake – you want this to be moist!
Once removed from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes then release the springform and let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together.
Cut the cold butter into small pieces. Press it into flour with your fingers until it is crumbly.
Whisk milk and egg in a small bowl and then add to flour. Stir until it just forms a batter. It should be thick.
Spoon mixture into a prepared 9-inch springform pan. Spread evenly across the bottom of the pan.
Peel, core, and slice apples then spread evenly over the cake batter. You can make patterns by choosing what direction to place these! Bake for 20 minutes.
Make the custard. Whisk 1/4 of the heavy cream and 2 tsp flour in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Add the rest of the cream, sugar, egg, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
When the cake reaches the 20-minute mark, take it out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C). Pour the custard over the top of the cake.
Place back in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and the top springs back when you touch it. Don’t overbake – you want this to be moist!
Once removed from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes then release the springform and let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.