Oma’s Apple Cake

You can imagine my thrill when my good friend Laurel Kratochvilla (of Fine Bagels and New European Baking fame) called to let me know she was writing her second book, Dobre Dobre, Polish Baking and Beyond, said “Come on Hanna, you must have a Polish family recipe that you want to share”.  And indeed I did. 

This super easy, super moist, warmly spiced cake is pure comfort and nostalgia with a hint of elegance. Every time I make it I feel my Oma in the room with me, with her somewhat slapdash measuring techniques and innate ability to effortlessly care for and feed everyone around her.

I did adapt the recipe ever so slightly, cutting some of the white sugar with soft brown sugar and replacing the sunflower oil with extra virgin olive oil. Firstly because I love an olive oil cake (Oma probably wouldn’t approve because of the decadence) but it also adds a delicate richness and a depth of flavour to the batter.

Laurel and I also decided to layer the apples into the batter reserving some for a decorative top rather than just stir the slices through the mixture. Oma often made this in an Angel Food tin which also works well, but for the book we chose a more traditional round cake. If you think it’s too much of a faff to layer the slices, channel Oma and stir them through the batter. It will still be absolutely delicious.  

Thank you Laurel for including this recipe that’s so close to my heart in Dobre Dobre. It’s a triumph of a book and it means the world to keep my Oma’s recipe alive and in people’s kitchens.  

Please join me for an In Conversation with Laurel on 6th November at my home to celebrate her book launch and talk all things baking and heritage.  Tickets available here.

Oma’s Apple Cake

Servings

8-10

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

10

minutes

This recipe is published in Dobre Dobre, Polish Baking and Beyond by Laurel Kratochvila.

This makes one 9″ cake

Ingredients

• 400g (4-5) firm apples, peeled and cored (Braeburn or Royal Gala recommended)

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 cup (220g) olive oil (plus a little more for the tin)

• 1 ¼ cups (250g) caster sugar 

• ¼ cup (50g) soft brown sugar

• 2 1/2 cups (330g) plain flour

• 3 large eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp double acting baking powder

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 340f (175c) and grease a 9” springform pan or angel food pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. Place in a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss with lemon juice to prevent browning.
• Next, in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the olive oil, sugars, and eggs and beat for 3-5 minutes until thick and completely emulsified. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and stir together. Continuing to mix on low speed, add the flour mixture to the eggs until just mixed with no dry bits. You can also do this part by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you don’t over mix. Once the batter is combined and thick, start to assemble your cake, pouring batter and layering apples in stages. Place half the batter in the bottom of your pan, then cover with half the apple slices. Cover this with the second half of the batter, then arrange the second half of the apple slices over the top in a pretty spiral. Sprinkle the top with demerara sugar and bake for 70 to 75 minutes until the cake is firm to the touch and a tester comes out clean.
• Cool completely before slicing. This cake is best the second day and can last all week sealed airtight.

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