Bake an Apple Cake If You Have 3 Apples

What ingredients do you need?

Spoon measures: a tablespoon here is one regular Korean table spoon, leveled off (about 15 ml), and a teaspoon is one teaspoon (about 5 ml).

Use an 8-inch (about 20 cm) or 9-inch (about 23 cm) springform or regular round pan, with a parchment round on the bottom.

What oven temperature and time should you use?

At 50 minutes, test the center first. If batter clings to it, bake up to 55 minutes.

What order do you make it in?

1. Preheat the oven to 177°C with the rack in the middle. Brush the pan bottom with butter, lay in a parchment round, then brush the parchment and the sides too. The butter adds up to 1/2 tablespoon (about 7 g). If you are using the 30 g of sliced almonds, press them onto the buttered surfaces. Gaps are fine.

2. In a medium bowl, mix 90 g of flour, 24 g of almond flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the 85 g of melted butter, 2 eggs, 160 g of brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It should turn smooth and creamy, paler, and a little foamy. Add the dry mixture and stir only until no dry flour shows.

4. Add the 550 g of sliced apples and turn them with a spatula until every slice is coated. The batter looks scant, just barely wrapping the apples, which is normal for this recipe.

5. Scrape everything into the prepared pan and spread the apples out evenly so they do not pile up on one side.

6. Bake at 177°C for 50 to 55 minutes. When the top is golden and a toothpick or knife in the center comes out clean, take it out and cool it on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen it and release the springform's sides. With a regular pan, turn the cake out, peel off the parchment, and set it right side up again. Let it cool another 15 minutes.

What should you watch to avoid failure?

• Slice the apples about 6 mm thick, then weigh them to confirm 550 g in total.
• Pack the brown sugar down and weigh it to 160 g.
• Take the eggs out ahead so they reach room temperature.
• Stop stirring the moment the dry flour disappears after you add it.
• Don't taste raw batter with flour and raw eggs in it. Raw flour is not ready to eat until it is cooked.
• It contains egg, wheat, milk (butter), and almonds. Even without the sliced almonds, the almond flour and extract still contain almonds.

Which apples should you choose?

Firm, tart apples balance the sweetness of the batter well. Granny Smith and Pink Lady fit that description. Soft-fleshed varieties such as Honeycrisp or McIntosh hold a lot of moisture, so skip them.

The reference recipe does not say whether the varieties sold in Korea meet this standard. At the store, pick apples that feel firm in the hand, and check tartness in the seller's description or on the package label.

Is it okay if the batter looks like less than the apples?

Yes. With 550 g of apples and only 90 g of flour and 24 g of almond flour, the batter coats each slice in a thin layer. Don't make more batter or take apples out; just put it in the pan as it is.

For more almond flavor, raise the extract to 3/4 teaspoon. The almond flavor gets stronger the next day.

When should you slice it, and how do you store it?

Cool it 15 minutes in the pan and 15 minutes after unmolding, 30 minutes in all, then slice with a serrated knife. It is best the day it is baked. Keep leftovers at room temperature without a cover and eat them within 3 days. Press parchment or plastic wrap directly onto the cut surfaces so the cake does not turn damp.