Cardamom Cognac Apple Cake.

Name: Cardamom Cognac Apple Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom; 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 3 tablespoons cognac ((Calvados, rum, or bourbon work well too)); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/3 cup buttermilk, at room temperature; 3 medium Honeycrisp apples; 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan; 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar; confectioners sugar, for dusting

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October 10, 2017

Posted in Cake, Christmas, Desserts, Fall, Holidays + Seasonal, Recipes, Thanksgiving

Come fall, I always look forward to baking with apples, and this cardamom cognac apple cake is my new go-to for autumn apple baking.

Cardamom Cognac Apple Cake | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I am so happy to be sharing this french style apple cake with you guys. The recipe comes from the incredible Athena Calderone and her new cookbook that’s out today, Cook Beautiful. If you are unfamiliar with Athena’s work, I highly suggest you take a look at her blog, Eyeswoon. There you will find beautifully photographed recipes, tablescapes, and stories. I have followed Athena for years now and it’s her love of food and creating beautiful things that has kept me drawn in. Her passion always shines through and that’s what I love most.

When I first got my hands on her cookbook a couple of weeks ago, I had to open it up immediately and skim through. I was blown away at first glance. It is simply stunning and I appreciated so much the amount of photos and writing that went into creating the cookbook. As a cookbook author myself (that is so weird writing that out…), I know all too well how much work goes into creating a beautiful book, and I can say with confidence that Athena created a five-star, beautifully crafted cookbook.

When Athena asked me to share a recipe from Cook Beautiful, I had a pretty difficult time choosing just one to share, but in the end, my love for fall baking gave in and I decided on this apple cake. And trust me, it was one of my better decisions because this cake is all too delicious.

Not only is it delicious, this cake is simple, moist…almost bread pudding like, and not overly sweet.

It. Is. So. Good.

The batter is a simple mix of flour, eggs, buttermilk, etc…the basics when it comes to cake. What makes this cake stand out however, is the addition of buttermilk, cardamom, and cognac. The buttermilk is what makes the cake almost pudding like. It’s not traditional in french style apple cakes, but it really kicks the cake up a notch.

The cardamom and cognac add a little touch of spice and flavor, but don’t overwhelm the sweet Honeycrisp apples.

And speaking of those apples, I love that this cake recipe uses Honeycrisp apples. Most apple cakes use a bland variety baking apple, but I always love the way Honeycrisp apples bake up…and okay, they are also totally my favorite apple!

I have now made this cake twice and both times it’s been incredible. The second time around I added a touch of cinnamon because I just love the combo of apples and cinnamon too much. If you’re into cinnamon, add a pinch or two, it’s delish.

I served this cake warm, right out of the oven, but it’s great at room temperature too. Most importantly though? Be sure to generously dust your cake with confectioners sugar before serving. No exceptions.

This is the perfect thing to whip up just about any day of the week, but today is looking like a pretty good day to me. I always love baking up something sweet midweek to keep things fun!

Lastly, before I go, I just want to give you guys a head up that there will be no Wednesday post tomorrow. As mentioned in Sunday’s Favorites post, we are finally launching the blogs redesign that we have been working on now for months. So excited to give HBH a fresh new look!

It takes a bit of time to implement the new site design, and there might be some glitches in the process, so I decided not to post tomorrow, just in case we have any issues. I will be back on Thursday though, with a whole new layout and brand new Instant Pot recipe!!

Already so excited about it.

In the meantime, let’s all bake up this delicious apple cake.

4.03 from 110 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Cardamom Cognac Apple Cake

By Athena Calderone

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cake, fall cake

Come fall, I always look forward to baking with apples, this cardamom cognac apple cake is my go-to when it comes to weekend baking. This cake is simple, moist, almost bread pudding like, and not overly sweet. It is delicious!

*Reprinted with permission from Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 247 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cognac (Calvados, rum, or bourbon work well too)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
3 medium Honeycrisp apples
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
confectioners sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place a piece of parchment paper into an 8-or 9-inch cast iron pan and grease with butter.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Whisk in the granulated sugar, cognac, and vanilla extract. Pour in the buttermilk and whisk to combine.
3. Peel, halve, and core 2 1/2 of the apples, then cut them into 1/2-inch-thick cubes. Reserve the remaining half apple (unpeeled, and cut into 1/4-inch slices) for the top.
4. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined, then gently fold in half of the melted butter. Repeat with the remaining flour and butter. Gently fold in the cubed apples, reserving the slices. Transfer the batter to the pan and arrange the apple slices in a circular pattern on top of the batter. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake until the cake turns a deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes. Transfer the skillet to a cooling rack and let sit for 5 minutes. The cake may be served warm or at room temperature, directly from the skillet; whichever you choose, be sure to dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

And don’t forget to order a copy of Cook Beautiful. You will love it. Promise.

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photo #halfbakedharvest.