But my love for apples were only for the fresh chilled fruit. I distinctly disliked apples in any other form except fresh, chilled and without the skin! So while my mom's apple pie was possibly the best, I ate little of it (although to be fair, it was the only apple pie I would eat). I did not like apple cake at all, except (recently) this apple upside-down cake.
As I grew older, I grew less fond of apples. But this did not mean that I did not try to use them for baking! Especially since I (usually) get a lot of apples in December, so I baked a lot of apple desserts... mommy's apple pie (at least trying it), apple tarts, apple muffins, apple cakes... all of which everyone else would eat.
Then last week, as I was browsing Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table, I discovered her recipe for Marie-Helene's Apple Cake.
And, as usual I made little changes... like using a mandolin to slice the apples instead of slicing them into chunks (it was really faster to use the mandolin!)... adding apple pie spice... reducing the sugar (just a bit) and using light brown sugar (and then sprinkling the top with more light brown sugar and more apple pie spice)... and finally, using 2 6-inch Springform pans instead of a single 9-inch.
I used a mix of Fuji apples and Gala apples, although I think I might have overdone the apples. Dorie Greenspan's recipe called for 4 apples (varying kinds). What I had was 1 medium Fuji apple and about 6 small Gala apples. I thought 2 small apples would be equivalent to a medium one...
I love, love, love this cake!!! It's more apple than cake, I would say, and I really like the the apple slices still have a crunch to it!
Hubby had his cake with vanilla ice cream and he was so happy with the cake that he got a second and a third helping!
