Ta daaa! Today we have knocked up a quick Æblekage, or apple cake, a fabulous Danish pudding which is the best way I know for using up all those autumnal cooking apples. Is Danish apple cake really a cake? Well, not exactly… layers of stewed apple are alternated with the happy crunch of spiced, buttery cinnamon crumbs and topped off with a cloud of whipped cream. Serve in either a large trifle dish or in individual serving glasses; I have to make a special one for my mum as she loves it with a blob of jam or redcurrant jelly on top.
Before we crack on with , there are a couple of things you should know.
A). Yes, I know it doesn’t look like a cake, it’s more of a layered trifle but the longer you leave it the cakier it gets. Definitely one of those puddings that is more than a sum of its parts.
B). The amounts given in the recipe below are more of a suggestion than a definitive recommendation; my Danish grandmother cooked everything by eye, with a little shake of this and a dash of that, and I appear to have inherited the tradition, so keep tasting and add more sugar and spice as you fancy it.
C). The stewed apple shouldn’t be too sweet, so it provides a pleasing contrast to the brown sugary breadcrumbs.
D). I should have put a layer of the crumbs at the bottom of the glass, but as I was trying to prevent my son eating all the whipped cream I wasn’t concentrating fully; the more layers you can get in the better 🙂
E). In Denmark you can actually buy Æblekage rasp (breadcrumbs) ready to use, but I prefer the home-made version as you can adjust the amount of cinnamon. They will keep very well in an airtight jar for up to a week. And if you’re wondering what to do with lots of windfall apples, try the ultimate hygge dessert for autumn, Granny’s Apple Meringue Pudding or our Lazy Spiced Harvest Butter! while you snuggle up to one of our beautiful aromatherapy Scandinavian candles by Norska!
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the apple sauce
1kg cooking apples
3tbsp demerera sugar
1sp mixed spice
For the crumbs
10 slices of decent bread, made into breadcrumbs
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp demerera sugar
25g butter
For the topping
300ml whipping cream
Method
Peel and core the apples, and place in a large saucepan with enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle over the the sugar and mixed spice. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the apples have broken down, stirring constantly and adding a little more water if necessary. Set aside to cool.
Whip the cream and put on a high shelf so your son can’t find it.
Next take your largest frying pan and set over a moderate heat. Add the butter, and when it has melted scatter over the sugar and cinammon; give it a quick stir, then tip in the breadcrumbs. The idea here is to crisp them up so they turn a lovely golden brown colour, but you need to keep moving them constantly so they don’t burn. Keep stirring for 5-10 minutes until they have change colour, then remove from the heat; at this point it is a good idea to eat a large spoonful of them while nobody is looking, and add more sugar and cinnamon if you fancy it sweeter.
To assemble the cake, you simply spoon a few mixture of the crumbs into the bottom of your serving dish, then alternate with layers of stewed apple, finishing with a layer of cream and a final decorative sprinkle of crumbs.
