BUCKWHEAT ALMOND-APPLE CAKE
In Bergen, Norway, I stumbled upon a dimly lit coffee shop where the barista welcomed me like a local. He recommended the only food item on the menu: eplekake, apple cake. He warmed a wide wedge laced with cinnamon and apple chunks. At home, I was determined to re-create that bakery goodness. In my cake, apples—shredded and sauced—infuse the cake with a fruity lusciousness. Buckwheat and almonds also help keep it moist while providing just enough structure to hold apple slices.
TIP: If you’re not making your own applesauce, buy a thick one. If your applesauce is thin and runny, the cake will need more time to bake through.
makes one 9-inch cake
gluten-free, dairy-free
- 1 large (255 g) Golden Delicious apple
- 1 cup (136 g) fine stone-ground buckwheat flour
- 1 cup (109 g) almond flour
- 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (56 g) almond or other nut oil or neutral oil
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (174 g) packed dark brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling (optional)
- 1 cup (264 g) unsweetened applesauce, homemade or store-bought
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform or cake pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again.
2. Peel the apple, cut it in half, and core. Cut very thin slices from one half. Coarsely grate the remaining apple.
3. Whisk both flours, the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the oil, egg, vanilla, and brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Fold in half of the dry ingredients until incorporated, then fold in the applesauce. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients just until all traces of flour disappear, then fold in the grated apple. Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Gently press the apple slices in trios of overlapping slices on top in a ring around the edges, leaving space between them. Don’t put any slices in the center. Sprinkle more brown sugar over the apple slices, if you’d like.
4. Bake until the cake is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
5. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then run a thin-bladed knife between the edges of the cake and the pan and release and remove the sides. Cool completely on the pan base on the rack.
MAKE AHEAD
The cake is best the day it’s made but will keep at room temperature for up to 1 day.