Covered Apple Cake

My husband's family background is German and his grandmother was a wonderful German cook.  I have on occasion attempted a couple of the German dishes without much success.  So I have started on a new venture of learning German Cooking.  One of the first "dishes" I attempted was called Covered Apple Cake or the German translation was Gedeckter Apfelkuchen.  I found this recipe on the website www.Germancookbooks.com.  The only thing that you might have to buy is a spring form pan which you can get at Walmart.  I bought a set of 3 for $9.99 (I think that is what I paid).  On to the recipe . . .

Ingredients

Cake 

2 cups flour
2 scant tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
11 T butter or margarine at room temperature
1 egg yolk

Apple Filling

2 lbs apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 T water

Glaze (optional) - I did put the glaze on my cake - it really made the cake!!

1 cup powdered sugar
2 - 3 tsp milk
1 T butter or margarine melted


Filling

Core, peel and cut the apples in quarters, then cut the quarters in half.  Place the apples in a sauce pan, add the sugar, lemon juice and water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Drain the apples slices reserving the juice.  You will need a cup of juice, add water if needed to make a cup.  Pour the juice back into the sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Place the cornstarch in a small bowl and make a paste with the 3 tablespoons of water.  Add to the boiling juice.  (NOTE: I had trouble getting the paste to dissolve - it made the juice thick, but there was clunks of cornstarch).  Stir in the apples and raisins.  Set aside.


Cake:

Place flour in a large bowl, stir in baking powder. make a well, sprinkle the sugar over it, drop in one egg, the vanilla extract and cut the butter into slices over the top

Knead the ingredients into a smooth dough.  Use half the dough to line the bottom of the springform pan and the other half wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.  The dough in the springform pan should cover up 1 inch of the side.  With a fork prick the bottom of the pan and bake in a preheated 400 oven for 15 minutes.

Once the cake and the apples have cooled, spread the apple mixture over the cake in the pan.

Take the remaining dough and roll it out.   Cover the apple mixture and make sure the dough reaches the entire rim of the pan.  Press down the edges all around the rim.  Stir the egg yolk and brush the entire cake.

Bake in a preheated 400 oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Set on a rack to cool for 30 minutes before removing rim.

Glaze

Stir all ingredients together and spread over the top of the cake.

VERDICT:  I was pleasantly surprised by this cake.  I was afraid it might be too bland with no spices (i.e., the normal spices you add when you are working with apples - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.), but you could really taste the lemon.  My husband loved this!!  It sort of reminded me of a coffee cake.  This is definitely a keeper recipe1