Caramelised apple cake with cinnamon crumble

Method

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C conventional, without fan. Grease an approximately 20 × 15 cm rectangular ovenproof dish with 5 g butter.

2. Step 2

   Make the crumble first: mix 70 g flour, 45 g brown sugar and 4 g cinnamon in a bowl. Add 50 g butter, cold and diced, and briefly rub it in with your fingertips until moist crumbs form with no dry flour remaining.

3. Step 3

   Squeeze small handfuls together, then break them into irregular clumps about 5–10 mm across. The mixture should not be entirely fine crumbs or a smooth dough. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes while preparing the filling and cake batter.

4. Step 4

   Peel and core the apples; weigh 400 g flesh and cut into 1 cm cubes. Melt 20 g butter in a frying pan. Add the apple, 30 g brown sugar and 2 g cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for about 9 minutes, stirring, until tender but still holding its shape.

5. Step 5

   Mix the 10 g cornflour with the 20 ml cold water. Stir into the pan and cook for 1 minute until the apple juices thicken. Remove from the heat and spread on a plate to cool while preparing the batter.

6. Step 6

   For the cake, beat 110 g butter, softened, with the 110 g white sugar for about 3 minutes until paler and creamy. Beat in the 2 eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next.

7. Step 7

   Sift the remaining 110 g flour over the egg and butter mixture. Fold in gently with a spatula just until no dry flour remains.

8. Step 8

   Spread the cake batter in the greased dish. Add the cooled apple as a separate layer. Take the cold crumble from the fridge and scatter the clumps evenly over the surface, keeping their shape without pressing the topping flat.

9. Step 9

   Bake on the middle shelf at 180 °C for about 40 minutes, until golden and a skewer reaching the cake layer has no raw batter attached; the apple may leave it moist. If raw batter remains, bake in additional 5-minute intervals.

10. Step 10

    Using oven gloves, remove the dish and cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting into 8 portions.