After a golden afternoon spent in the orchard,
there is literally nothing more VT than combining
two of the state's natural treasures
-apples and maple syrup.
Apple picking is not just a one time event here in the Green Mountain State.
Oh, no. With the number of varieties offered,
Vermonters mark their calendars in order not to miss their favorites.
This particular cake is made with early season McIntosh apples and is a great traditional bake to inaugurate the season.
This year Labor Day coincided with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and pairing this Cinnamon Maple Apple cake with rugelach was an excellent choice.
Highly recommend.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
20 tablespoons (1 1/4 cup) butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons rum
grated zest of 1 lemon
6 large eggs
4 McIntosh (or Granny Smith) apples, 1/4 inch dice
1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions:*
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 10 inch round pan with butter, sprinkle with sugar and shake to remove excess sugar.
Mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl. Set aside.
Put butter and sugar in a mixer bowl with wire whip attachments and mix for 2 minutes. Add honey, rum and lemon zest and mix well. Add eggs, one by one, and mix briefly just until incorporated. Stop mixer and scrape sides with a spatula as needed. Lower speed to low.
Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Remove bowl from mixer and mix in the apples using a spatula.
Pour batter into greased pan. Sprinkle walnuts on top. Bake for about 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake come out clean. Cool on a rack. Cover lightly with foil and keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
*Pro tip - make at least one day before eating to really let all the flavors saturate and soak.