Apple Pie Cake

Warm apple pie cake topped with vanilla ice cream

Years ago Joe picked up The New York Times Heritage Cookbook from a remainder book sale. It sat on the shelves untouched for a very long time, until one night, searching for a simple dessert, I cracked it open and discovered a whole world of American comfort food and heirloom recipes.

The book was originally published in 1972, and I don't think our 1995 edition is substantially different. It's organized by region (Northeast, South, Midwest, Northern Planes/Mountain, Southwest, Northwest), with each region further divided into appetizers and soups, fish, meats, etc. The author interviewed hundreds of home cooks over some five years and out of the enormous collection of recipes that resulted, choose what she felt were the best of the best. If you have the impression that American food is all the same, this book quickly dispells that notion. Yes, there are common elements, but each region also has its own character. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about this collection is how well it brings out the way immigrant recipes interacted with the local foods in the different regions they settled. Some are recipes brought by immigrants from their homelands, others, like shoofly pie, are local inventions with a long American culinary history, and others are more recent creations.

This isn't trendy food. This is home cooking of the type found at potluck church dinners, farmers' markets, 4-H shows, and small town festivals all across America.

But that one night I was looking for something simple to do with apples, and I found this Apple Pie Cake recipe that has been a favorite ever since. This is a sweet, rich, extremely moist cake that almost turns "caramelly" on the bottom. The basic recipe calls for cooking it in a pie plate, but you can also cook it up in a muffin tin or mini-soufflé dishes (see image).

I wish I could say whose recipe this is. The author credits each recipe at the front of the book in what must be the world's longest list of acknowledgements. I looked closely to figure out who I have to thank for such a delicious treat, but I fear my mysterious cook, who should have appeared between Mrs T. S. Kopseng's Apple Cake and Donna Brown's Prune Cake, was accidentally left out.

Apple Pie Cake from North Dakota
The New York Times Heritage Cookbook

1/2 C shortening (I use 1/2 C butter)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs hot water
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I use pecans)
2 1/2 C peeled, cored and diced apples

Whipped cream or ice cream for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.

Sift together the flour with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water.

Stir the flour and dissolved baking soda into the batter.

Fold in apples and nuts.

Turn into a greased, nine-inch pie plate.

Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

For the mini-soufflé dishes, I baked somewhere between 25 and 35 minutes.  The top(s) should be a dark rich brown and may even look a bit cripsy.

This is not a "firm" cake. It's just too moist. If you bake these in muffin tins or mini-soufflé dishes, they need extra support when being removed from their molds. Let them cool a bit, loosen around the edges, and gently lift out with a large spoon or flexible spatula.  If you need it to last more than a day, then I think the pie pan version holds up better.  A day later, the mini-cakes were disintegrating when picked up.

Comments

[Ivonne]

I can't imagine anything better than apple pie cake in autumn!

[melissa]

This sounds delicious. I love apples and I love cake. Together at last.
I'm really not a baker, but I wonder if the extra moisture in your recipe comes from using butter instead of shortening. Is there any other good substitute for hydrogenated (sp?) oil? Not that using butter isn't ALWAYS a great idea!

[Kitchen Chick]

Ivonne: I love autumn. Apple pies (and "pie cakes"!) and warm soups and stews. Pears and pomegranates and Fall raspberries and squash and the tail end of summer produce.

Melissa: I'm sure the butter affects the texture, but I think the extra moisture comes mainly from the apples. There's almost more apples than batter (and I tend to err on using a bit more apple than called for). And there's quite a bit of sugar in this recipe, so I think the carmel-y flavor is the sugar carmelizing a bit. (I've thought about trying this recipe with less sugar.)

[Lydia]

At this time of year, the orchards are bursting with several varieties of apples, and I'm filling my freezer with apple cakes. This recipe looks wonderful -- does it freeze well?

[Kitchen Chick]

Lydia, I've never tried freezing it. It's best the day its made, but if I were going to try freezing it I would do so as fast as possible.

[TomC]

I just found your site via Egullet. You're doing a great job. Do you think the apple cakes would work well cooked in the morning/afternoon and reheated for service after dinner?

[Kitchen Chick]

TomC: thanks, glad you like my blog. I've never prepared this cake far inadvance. The taste won't suffer for being made somewhat in advance. What changes is the texture. If you get the top a deep brown, then very nice crispy edges can develop.

I would make it as late as possible, but do allow some cooling time. (Served right away it will fall apart.) If you make it in advance, I recommend NOT sealing it up in a tupperware as trapping that heat and moisture in it will make it soggy.

FWIW, I did reheat the mini-soufflé one in the photo in the microwave and it tasted just fine.

Idea: sprinkle a bit of demera sugar on top and reheat under a broiler.

[Misplaced_Texan]

I gave this a shot last night after finally picking up new baking soda (expires in January 05?!). Not terribly sweet like I was afraid of, it was just sweet enough. Very moist and enjoyable.

Thank you for the recipe!

[Kitchen Chick]

I'm glad you like the apple cake. I find this one skirts the edge of being too sweet, but then tend to like my sweets a bit less sweet than than others prefer, so it's probably spot on for most people. It certainly vanishes when I serve it to friends.

[marylou willhaus]

what kind of apples are used in this apple pie cake recipe ? it was not mentioned. iam thinking that a green apple or one with a tart flavor is best like granny smith as there is alot of sugar in it. I have had this some years ago and looking forward to tring it again.

[Kitchen Chick]

Marylou: I like to use tart apples for cooking. Granny Smith. Northern Spy, Empire, Jonathan work well for baking.