This cake is no ordinary cake - it's an äppelkladdkaka! Literally, an "apple sticky cake." A Swedish "kladdkaka", is a sticky cake, sort of like a brownie or a blondie. They're dense and fudgey rather than cakey. I've seen these types of cakes without chocolate before, and I've made a few too - like my semmelkladdkaka - but it never occurred to me to try it with apples.
I don't love apple cake in general, but as it's my husband's favorite, I'm always looking to tweak old versions and come up with new favorites. And let me tell you, this one is a real winner. It's a dense apple cake, super moist and flavorful, and with a crunchy cinnamon-y topping... oh yum. It's great sligtly warm, or ice cold from the fridge - it's all up to you. We ate it without anything else, but I would never turn down a soft dollop of whipped cream.
This cake is based off this one, from My Kitchen Stories. I modified it a bit here and there - as always, I NEVER follow a recipe to the letter. (And neither should you! Have fun!)
Apple Pie Cake
for the cake:
2 apples (medium large - if you're using big ones, use about 1,5)
175 g butter, melted
150 g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla powder
80 g brown sugar
3 tbsp rolled oats
pinch of salt
3 eggs
240 g flour
for the topping:
50 g butter, softened
60 g flour
50 g rolled oats
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
for decoration:
1 apple
extra cinnamon
Start by pre-heating your oven to 175°C. (I did NOT use my fan assist for this, just the regular heat.)
Use a springform tin of about 9 inches, and line it with baking paper. Grate the apples coarsely (not the one for decoration). No need to peel them. Squeeze out any excess liquid.
Place in a bowl, add the eggs, and then melted butter, caster sugar, vanilla, brown sugar, oats, a pinch of salt and flour. Stir until it's a nice batter and pour into your prepared tin.
Place all the ingredients for the topping in a bowl, and pinch with your fingers (or use your Kitchen-Aid, that's what I do) until you have crumbs.
Slice the apple for decoration thinly and press the slices into the batter. Top with the crumbs, and finish with an extra dusting of cinnamon.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes. The cake should have started to pull away at the edges and be mostly dry throughout. It's fine if it's still wobbly, but if it is you need to chill it before eating. If you want to have it warm, you want it to be a little bit more set.
