Breton Apple Cake

When I saw this cake on my friend Stacey's blog, I knew it was in my future. The cake alone - so moist and redolent of butter and apples - is worth making. But served with the salted caramel sauce, it becomes irresistible. That's why it's best  to wait till company comes or you'll be eating it all yourself and swiping your finger into the pot to get every last drop of the caramel sauce. (guilty as charged on that last one.)

Normally, I bake with granny smith apples, but this time I used a combination of those and honey crisp, and it was terrific.

You have to sauté the apples in butter first.

Then spread them out in a single layer in a buttered pan.

Cover with a layer of the batter, then repeat the process.

I sprinkled the whole thing with cinnamon sugar.

It will be a huge hit, especially if you drizzle that decadent caramel sauce on the side -

Or pour it all over the top into a puddle of goodness.

 Gateau Breton aux Pommes avec Beurre Salé (adapted from Bon Appetit):

As found on Stacey Snacks' blog

Printable Recipe here



For the cake:



10 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled, plus 2 tbsp for the apples

1 1/4 cups of flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp kosher salt (not regular table salt)

1 cup sugar plus 2 tbsp sugar, divided

zest of a lemon

3 eggs

4 firm apples (I mixed varieties), peeled, cored and thickly sliced



Butter and flour an 8" cake pan (I used my springform, of course).



Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar and 10 tbsp. of melted butter and lemon zest.

Add in the dry ingredients and mix to form a batter.



In a heavy medium skillet, heat the 2 tbsp of butter and add in the apple slices. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp of sugar and cook for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat until the apples are juicy and caramelized. Keep stirring, so the apples don't stick.

Lay half the cooked apples on the bottom of the prepared cake pan and spoon half the batter over them. Don't worry if the batter doesn't seem to cover the apples.



Layer with the rest of the apples, then the rest of the batter. It's easiest if you have a rubber spatula to spread the batter.



I sprinkled my cake with cinnamon sugar.



Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 35-45 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness.



Salted Caramel (beurre salé):



1/4 cup of water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cream

3 tbsp butter 

1/2 tsp kosher salt (not regular salt)



In a small, heavy saucepan, heat the water and sugar on medium boil until turning golden, 8-10 minutes.

You can scrape the brown bits on the sides of the pan down with a wet pastry brush.

Take the golden liquid off the heat and carefully add in the cream, it will bubble and boil, so be careful not to splatter yourself.



Place back on the stove and stir for 2 minutes.



Add in 3 tbsp butter and salt and cook another minute or two until the butter and mixture is nice and smooth.



Transfer to a heat resistant vessel, and place in the fridge to cool. You can make the caramel sauce 5 days in advance.