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“I waited all week to make this and I just had my first bite. Had to run to the computer to let you know itโs perfect! I couldnโt find Honeycrisp apples so I used fuji and they worked out wonderful, thanks for a special recipe, I know Iโll be making it again and again !!” ~Sara
Make my Honeycrisp apple cake and you’ll never need to visit the coffee shop bakery again.
I get most excited about cakes that give me permission to eat dessert for breakfast, and this is one of those cakes. It’s a hybrid apple/crumb cake bringing the best of both worlds to this simple treat. I used cardamom with a touch of cinnamon to spice the cake, which gives it a subtly different flavor from your run of the mill apple cake. There are finely chopped walnuts in the crumble for extra flavor and texture. It’s pretty much fall on a plate.
apple cakes are a specialty of the house!
why Honeycrisp apples?
I chose Honeycrisp apples for this recipe because they’re my current apple obsession. Honeycrisps are a relatively new breed, developed in Minnesota about 30 years ago. They’re extremely crisp, as the name suggests, and juicy, with a nice balance of acidity and sweetness. If you’re still buying Red Delicious, hold on to your hat because this is an entirely new animal.
These apples are great to eat raw ~ I’ve used them in my Broccoli Honeycrisp Slaw where they steal the show. But I’ve found that Honeycrisps bake up well, too, in fact they maintain their famous crunch in this cake even after almost an hour of baking! No mushy apples here.
how to make custard sauce for apple cake
This is how they serve apple cake in Europe, and it’s a pretty neat idea. Instead of whipped cream or other topping they spoon a luxe egg custard over their slice of cake. I’ve added a vanilla bean to make it even better. It’s basically a variation on Creme Anglaise, which you could use, too.
- Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat.
- Meanwhile whisk the yolks and sugar until pale in a small bowl.
- Drizzle a little of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. This tempers the yolks.
- Then transfer that back into the pan and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Don’t overcook or it can curdle.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- I like to run the sauce through a strainer to catch any bits of cooked egg or lumps.
The custard sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for a couple of days. It’s got the perfect creamy consistency and doesn’t solidify as it cools. The only downside is that it requires 6 egg yolks. I know. So check below for some yummy ideas for using your leftover whites…
What to do with leftover egg whites
Egg whites can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-4 days while you decide what to do with them, and they can be frozen for up to a year…just put them in sturdy zip lock freezer bags and label (don’t forget to note how many are in the bag.)
- Make a pavlova or individual meringue cookies.
- Add them to a frittata to lighten it up.
- Make an Eton Mess.
- Make homemade almond paste.
Sue’s Styling Tip!
I love a nice crumble topping on cakes and pies, but they can look a little dowdy. A light sprinkle of powdered sugar (dusted with a fine mesh sieve) highlights the texture and makes this cake look irresistible. Refresh leftover apple cake with an extra sprinkle.
delicious variations on apple cake
- Use pecans instead of walnuts in the topping, or leave the nuts out.
- Cinnamon or cinnamon and nutmeg can be used instead of cardamom.
- A gluten free baking mix can be substituted for the all purpose flour.
- Top with whipped cream instead of custard sauce.
- This apple cake can be baked in a 9-inch round or square pan if you don’t have a springform pan.
- Granny Smith apples can be used for a slightly tarter flavor.
Honeycrisp Apple Cardamom Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch spring form pan or 9-inch round or square pan
Ingredients
crumble
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 6 Tbsp unsalted cold butter, cut in small pieces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup ground walnuts (pulse in a food processor)
cake
- 3 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled and thinly sliced, 495 grams or 1 lb 1 ounce (after slicing)
- lemon juice
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 Tbsp milk or cream
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1/8 tsp salt
- confectioner’s sugar for dusting the finished cake
custard sauce
- 6 large egg yolks
- 6 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch round spring form pan.
- Put the streusel ingredients in a small bowl and blend everything together with your fingertips until it has a nice even crumbly texture and there is no more raw flour. Make sure to break down any large clumps of butter. Refrigerate.
- Toss the apple slices with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture, along with the milk or cream.
- Spoon the batter in to the pan, and smooth out evenly. Top with the sliced apples, and then the crumble topping.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Lay a loose layer of foil over the top if the crumble is browning too quickly.
- Let cool a bit in the pan before removing the sides. Dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
- To make the custard sauce bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile whisk the yolks and sugar until pale. Drizzle a little of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Add a little more, while whisking, then transfer that back into the pan and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Don’t overcook or it can curdle. Stir in the vanilla. I like to run the sauce through a strainer to catch any bits of cooked egg or lumps.
- Refrigerate the custard sauce until needed.
Hi, Sue,
Can you make this apple cardamom cake in a sheet cake? It sounds great! This is for end of harvest for all workers together after fish tacos. I’ll have about 15 or so. Hoping it will work. If not I’ll just keep it in springform pan. I like the custard idea. They do it well across the pond. Since I loved the Silver Palate, too, I think I should sign up for your blog. Tell me what I can do. We lost everything in the 8 Oct 2017 fire here in Napa, no cookbooks nor my mom’s recipes written in her hand, not my mother-in-law’s pre-wedding cookbook–France- 19 20’s and beyond.
Thanks, Sue, take good care. Can you keep this in your private email?
Best regards, Claire
Oh gosh, what a terrible shame about the fires. Losing such precious personal parts of your life must be devastating. I would love to have you subscribe, and maybe, little by little, build back a collection of recipes you love.
I think you should be able to do this cake in a 9×13 by doubling the recipe.
This is in the oven and I can’t wait!!! I can tell from the smell wafting around my kitchen that I’ll be making it again – maybe tomorrow! LOL!!! Thank you for your incredible recipes Sue; you inspire me! I’m cooking a lot because everything is soooo tempting. Next is one of your mac & cheese recipes. YUM!!!
Been baking for over sixty years. Prep time was way more than 20 minutes…unless you don’t consider peeling and slicing the apples and making the crumble part of the prep.
Fifty minutes is way to long. Forty was better. And your crumble needs more butter; your photo shows more than seventeen ounces ( odd amount) of apples, and the cake needs a bit more than 45 mg of cream. Otherwise , it ‘s a good base to experiment with.
Just maybe, since you’ve been baking over 60 years, you’re a little slower than younger folks.. just saying.. Prep time was about 20 min. for me.. You also could have said, “I would have preferred more butter in the crumble.” You are very critical without consensus in this particular group. As most of us felt that it was superb! Keep on trying, you’ll get it right with practice!
I thought this was a rude reply Victoria. Etta is entitled to the comments that were specific to her experience, regardless if they support the group consensus or not.
Why would anyone write such horrible letters ??????? Both parties here just must have nothing better to do with their time.What a shame. People come on here to read comments that might help with baking the cake, not to see a battle of wits.
I waited all week to make this and I just had my first bite. Had to run to the computer to let you know it’s perfect! I couldn’t find honeycrisp apples so I used fuji and they worked out wonderful, thanks for a special recipe, I know I’ll be making it again and again !!
In the oven right now – canโt wait to see how it turns out! One small note: you list cardamom in the ingredients (and your description), but the instructions say to add the โcinnamonโ with no mention of cardamom. Easy enough to figure out, but still…
So incredibly beautiful! You can never have too many apple cake recipes and this one is so unique and special with that luscious sauce. My kind of cake ๐
Sue,
Wondering if you could convert to vegan?
Not sure, Anne, there’s a lot of dairy in this cake. You’d need vegan butter, an egg replacement product, and any non dairy milk you like.
Hi Sue, what would you use as a substitute for Oats on the crumble? I’m hoping to make this gluten & wheat free, I can work out the rest ok.. but just not sure what would be a good pay substitute ?
The oats are gluten free Lulu, if that makes a difference. But if you still want to replace them, I’d suggest just omitting them.
Sliced almonds would give a similar look to replace the oatmeal. Without the oats, the crumble ratios would be off.
Love this with the spice, especially the Cardamom!! Iโm on a Cardamom love affair at the moment so this cake will be just lovely. You also mention Walnuts in your write-up and I will use some in the Crumble when I make the cake – just sounds interesting. Now, Iโm not a custard lover but this one looks really good and I will make it to go with the cake. Thanks Sue for this inspiring recipe. It has my taste buds dancing around!! :))
Mary, I could have written this myself! I”m on a big cardamom kick too!
This cake looks and sounds amazing! Just added to my list of baking for the fall. We know our families will love this recipe – thanks for sharing!
I’m pretty confident you’ll love this ladies!
This looks amazing! As did, your previous flourless cake. I must say I made your rhubarb tart with shortbread crust and it was AMAZING! I even got a compliment from my MIL!!! Can’t wait to try this ๐
Oh that rhubarb tart is one of my personal faves Angela, glad you liked it!