An easy to do recipe – my favorite kind, 7 ingredients and an amazingly delicious cake – no mixer required! This is a brown butter cake and the first bite you take, will transport you to one of those lovely intimate restaurants you find on the back streets in Rome. It is a rustic cake with an elegant taste, not too sweet and lets the flavor of the fruit shine. Apple, Prune and Brown Butter Cake – a must do cake as travelling to Italy is still a little difficult right now.
Brown butter is one of those things that is coming back in popularity. Really, any recipe that has butter can be switched for brown butter. No mystery to making this, just a watchful eye on the pot. A light color pot is best as it lets you see the milk solids change color and will prevent you from burnt butter. Just add the required amount of butter into the pot over medium heat. As the butter melts it will start to foam and separate. Using a wooden spoon or heat proof spatula, gently stir the foam away to see the milk solids change color. The darker the color, the deeper the taste (I said darker – not burned). As soon as it is ready, follow the instructions in the recipe – or, live dangerously and don’t.
I used three gala apples – two that I sautéed in some brown butter and one that I left raw. This was to give the cake some additional texture. Gala’s hold their shape pretty well but I do like the two textures on the cake. I also used dried prunes (well kind of dry, they were moist), thinly sliced. I left the cake simple because there are variations you can do that will change the flavor of the cake (see substitutions below). The addition of baking powder to the self-rising flour gives the cake additional height. If you don’t have self-rising flour, the formula I use is 1 cup of flour plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Others call for a bit of salt or reducing the flour by the quantity of baking powder. I like the simple method. Also, for this recipe, add the additional baking powder to your flour as well, it will get more height.
Measure the ingredients using a scale please. This is a great cake with a lovely bite to have on its own, with a coffee or tea, or even a glass of wine. Wash your hands, wear a mask, socialize responsibly and above all, stay safe! As always – enjoy!
Ingredients
175g unsalted butter – divided
3 Gala apples, diced or chunked – 2 will be sautéed with brown butter, 1 will be cut smaller than the other two and left uncooked
10 – 12 dried prunes, sliced thinly
150g sugar
2 eggs
150g self-rising flour
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Substitutions and/or changes
Try this cake with pears – but dice it smaller if they are hard, dice to 1/4″ pieces
Add some nuts to this – walnuts, almonds, pine nuts
Use dried apricots instead of prunes, craisins, cranberries or a combination of your favorites would all be acceptable and delicious – remember these are add-ins, so go crazy
Add 1 tsp of cinnamon to give this cake that apple pie taste – or just make a pie
Directions
Heat the oven to 350f and butter/spray and line a 9” spring form pan
Make the brown butter by melting the butter in a small pot over medium heat – stir every few seconds so you can see the milk solids as they turn brown – you want this browned not burned
When the butter turns a deep brown and smells nutty, remove all but 3 tablespoons to a mixing bowl
To the 3 tablespoons in the pot, add about 2/3 of the diced apples, all the prunes and 15g of sugar and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly until the butter/sugar mixture in the pan thickens – set aside to cool slightly
Spread the cooked apple/prune mixture in a single layer across the bottom of the prepared spring form pan – there will be about a tablespoon or so of butter/sugar goodness, it’s okay to add that to the pan as well
Spread the remaining 1 cup uncooked diced apple over the cooked apple mixture in the pan – set aside while you make the batter
Mix the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt
Beat together the cooled brown butter and the remaining sugar until fluffy
Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as necessary until mixed
Fold in the flour until combined – as my mother would often tell me – you’re making a cake, not mixing cement
Pour the batter over the apples and spread gently
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean
Cool in the pan on a wire rack – unhinge when cooled
Dust the surface with icing sugar if you like and serve plain or with some ice cream
