Portuguese Alcobaça Apple Cake

Today, we’re checking out a Alcobaça Apple Cake from Portugal, this cake is very similar to a traditional Danish apple cake recipe that draws inspiration from the classic Æblekage, but using very popular apples from Alcobaça region, these apples are renowned for their sweet taste and firm flesh.

So this Portuguese apple cake, mixes a creamy, fluffy tender cake with the freshness of apples, it’s a pretty “sweet” hehehe combination, this is also a apple cake without oil, the fat is pure butter so it’s extra rich, also with the inclusion of cornstarch in the batter to make the cake extra fluffy.

I’ve also combined the apples in the batter, to make it extra creamy, but you can just put the apples on the top of the cake, if you prefer a more simple look, the cake will bake just as well, so let’s check the recipe.

Portuguese Alcobaça Apple Cake

Servings: 12
Time: 1hr 10mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Whether you're a fan of apple and cake this is must-try recipe, easy to bake and delicious.

Ingredients

Eggs – 4
Sugar – 400gr
Butter – 150r
Flour – 200gr
Corn Starch – 100gr (Maizena)
Yeast – 1 teaspoon
Apples – 6 or 7 (530gr cubed)
Lemon – 2 Tablespoons Juice
Butter – To grease
Salt – A pinch

Directions

Peel and dice the apples, pour the lemon juice over them and mix to prevent the apples from oxidizing, put them in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a baking tray with non-stick paper and grease with butter.
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, whisk the egg whites until stiff.

Add the egg yolks, sugar and butter and whisk it all until creamy.

Add the flour, cornstarch, yeast and salt, mix again.

Then add the egg whites and mix well without whisk, just fold it in, then sprinkling a bit of flour on the apples and add the apples to the batter and pour everything into the baking tin.

Bake for about 45 minutes until the cake is cooked through, prick it in the center with a toothpick, if the toothpick comes out dry then the cake is baked, bon appetit!

Notes: Here are some tips for cakes with apples, like for perfectly crisp apples, keep them cold (yes fridge) until they meet the batter. Add classic warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and even a hint of ginger will take your cake to the next level. Dredging the apples in a bit of flour before folding them in will prevent them from sinking like stones. Aim for a batter that’s not too runny, not too thick, this will help the apples to be suspended comfortably inside the cake. The trusty toothpick test is always your friend, you know insert one in the center and if it comes out clean you have a baked cake, however insert a couple more times, because you might hit a apple and think the cake is done and it isn’t 😀

This recipe for Portuguese Alcobaça Apple Cake was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Bolo de Maçãs de Alcobaça foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.