Dutch Apple Cake appears in many wartime baking articles, with many variations. I like this upside-down version best because the apples are baked under the cake and really become tender. This recipe originally called for 1 tablespoon heavy cream in the topping. In those days, with a delicious layer of cream at the top of every milk bottle, that wasn’t hard to come by. I have changed it to milk so you don’t have to buy a half-pint of cream to get 1 tablespoon, but if you have some cream in the refrigerator feel free to use it.
1 tablespoon butter
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 cup milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sliced apples
1¾ cups unsifted all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening or butter (or a mixture)
1 large egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 375°F. Melt butter in an 8-inch square baking pan. Stir in brown sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and the cinnamon. Arrange apple slices in brown sugar mixture.
Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add shortening and cut into flour mixture with pastry blender or 2 knives to make coarse crumbs. Add remaining ¾ cup milk and the egg; stir together until a soft dough forms. Spoon dough over apples.
Bake cake 40 to 45 minutes or until center springs back when gently pressed. Remove from oven; immediately loosen edges of cake and invert onto a heatproof serving plate. Serve warm.
6 Servings