Chef Eldon Brink,
Holiday Inn Winnipeg South
Decadent layers of apple, cinnamon and spongy cake are light as air.
Ingredients
Cake
1 1/2 cups softened butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
2 Tbsp cinnamon
icing sugar
Filling
4 cups quartered and cored crab apples
sugar to coat
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 oz Sourpuss apple liqueur (optional)
Method
Brine
1. In a medium-sized pot, add all ingredients except for duck.
2. Bring to a boil, remove from heat immediately and cool.
Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar using a mixer on medium speed for 2 mins. Mix on high for 8 mins.
3. Add eggs one at a time until well mixed.
4. In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour and cinnamon. Add to batter on low speed 1 cup at a time. Mix well.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Remove paper and place over an 8″ cake pan. Using an offset spatula, spread 1/4 cup of batter thinly over the paper making an 8″ circle. Depending on size of baking sheet, you should be able to fit two circles of batter side-by-side on the parchment paper.
7. Carefully return parchment paper to baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 mins or until golden.
8. Cool at room temperature for 30 mins. Layers are crisp and break easily.
9. Repeat steps 5 to 8 with remaining batter to create 14 layers.
Filling
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, toss crab apples in sugar to coat.
3. Place apples on baking sheet and bake until tender for 10-12 mins.
4. Cool for 15 mins. Purée apples.
5. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whip cream with icing sugar using a mixer at high speed until stiff. Whip in liqueur.
Assembly
1. Lay one cake layer on plate and spread 1/3 cup whipped cream evenly over entire circle.
2. Spread 1/3 cup apple mixture evenly over a second cake layer.
3. Place apple cake layer on top of whipped cream layer. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream on top.
4. Continue to stack remaining layers using steps 1 to 3.
5. Refrigerate for at least 6 hrs.
6. Dust with icing sugar.
Yield 12-16 slices