COCONUT APPLE CAKE - DORIE GREENSPAN

For my birthday, last Christmas, I received baking expert Dorie Greenspan's wonderful and extremely well-praised/popular cookbook "Baking From My Home To Yours". I have already tried a couple of her recipes and I can say that, so far, they have all been very satisfying...

This book is a real baking buddy and a timeless classic as it is concise, very friedly, straightforward, helpful, not pompous and, most importantly, it guarantees highly successful results. It is written with style, clarity and is very well laid out. Her marvelous, award-winning, big and heavy book covers a broad range of recipes and baking methods (breakfast sweets like "Muffins", "Biscuits" or "Scones", pies, tarts, cheesecakes, cookies whether they are "Bar Cookies", "Cookie Jar Cookies" or "Side Of The saucer Cookies", cakes, loafs, yeast breads, quick breads, spoon desserts such as "Puddings", "Flans" or "Cobblers" and indispensables like "Sweet Tart Dough", "Lemon Curd" or "Caramel Sauce" ). Apart from offering a book chock-a-block full of gorgeous recipes that turn out wonderfullly, her writing is also very entertaining and enjoyable. "Baking From My Home To Yours" is an excellent resource for many baked goods!

Since I have become a series addict, it has become a habit for me to bake a scrumptious treat every Saturday afternoon. So last weekend, I decided to make her "Coconut Apple Family Cake" which was destined to by devoured in front of our favorite series of the moment ("Weeds"). As I was looking for something that would not be too rich nor filling, this cake fulfilled my expectations perfectly.

This seasonal, light, fluffy and moist cake was a real hit. We loved it for it's awesome hint of rum and cinnamon as well as for it's deliciously and defined taste of coconut and apple. Every flavor blended splendidly well together and taste-wise, it was well-balanced as well as remarkably gratifying. The magnificent apple jelly glaze really added an interesting fruity and slightly sour touch to the whole cake and contrasted delightfully with the overall homogenity and sweetness of it.

A simple cake that will rejoice everybody in the house! Plain good!

~ Coconut Apple Cake ~
Recipe by Dorie Greenspan "Baking From My Home To Yours" and adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums

Makes 1 cake/8 servings.

Ingredients for the "batter":
1 Cup + 2 Tbs All-purpose flour
2 Tsps Baking powder
1/4 Tsp Baking soda
1/3 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/3 Tsp Salt
3 Apples, peeled and cored
2 Large eggs (~53g), at room temperature
1/2 Cup + 2 Tsps Castor sugar
1/2 Cup Plain yogurt
6 Tbs Flavorless oil
1 Tbs Dark rum
2 Tsp Vanilla extract
1 Cup Shredded or grated unsweetened coconut

Ingredients for the "glaze":
1/2 Tsp Water
1/2 Cup Apple jelly

Method for the "batter":
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).
2. Butter a 22cm (9-inch) springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
4. Cut 2 of the apples into a small dice, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
5. Cut the 3rd apple from blossom to stem into slices about 6mm (1/4 of an inch) thick. Cover.

6. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and 1/2 cup of the sugar together for a minute.
7. Whisk in the yogurt, oil, rum and vanilla extract and whisk for aboute 1 minute, until smooth.
8. Still using the whisk, or switching to a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture, followed by the coconut and the diced apple.
9. Scrape the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan from side to side a couple of times to even the batter.
10. Arrange the sliced apples in an attractive pattern over the top of the cake and sprinkle them with the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.
11. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the apples and cake are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
12. Transfer the springform pan to a rack, and cool the cake 20 minutes or so.

Method for the "glaze":
13. Meanwhile, warm the apple jelly with the water just until it liquefies.
14. Once the cake has cooled for 20 minutes, run a knife around the edges of the cake and release the sides of the pan.
15. Using a pastry brush, give the top of the cake a generous gloss of glaze.
16. Let the glaze set.
17. Serve.

Remarks:
Use Granny Smith or Golden apples for this cake.
For this recipe, use either canola, grapeseed, sunflower or peanut oil.
If you wish, you can add 1/2 cup ground pecans or walnut (or an equal amount of the same nut, finely chopped) to the cake batter.

You can replace the apples by pineapple slices or pears.
This cake is a good keeper. Wrapped well, it will keep at room temperature for about 4 days.
Note thast it can't be frozen, because of the glaze.

Serving suggestions:
Serve warm with unsweetened condensed milk or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or sweetened sour cream.

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~ Cake Aux Pommes Et A La Noix De Coco ~
Recette de Dorie Greenspan "Baking From My Home To Yours" et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums

Pour 1 cake/8 parts.

Ingrédients pour la "pâte":
1 Tasse + 2 CS de Farine blanche/fleur
2 CC de Poudre à lever
1/4 de CC de Bicarbonate de soude
1/3 de CC de Cannelle en poudre
1/3 de CC de Sel
3 Pommes, pelées et étrognée
2 Gros oeufs (~53g), à température ambiante
1/2 Tasse + 2 CC de Sucre cristallisé
1/2 Tasse de Yoghourt nature
6 CS d'Huile végétale neutre
1 CS de Rhum sombre
2 CC d'Extrait de vanille
1 Tasse de Noix de coco râpée

Ingrédients pour le "nappage":
1/2 CC d'Eau
1/2 Tasse de Gelée de pomme/de nappage

Méthod pour la "pâte":
1. Placer une grille au milieu du four et préchauffer le four à 180° C (350° F).
2. Beurrer un moule rond à charnière de 22cm (9-inch) et le poser sur une plaque recouverte de papier sulfurisé ou d'une feuille de cuisson en silicone.
3. Bien mélanger ensemble la farine tamisée, la poudre à lever, la bicarbonate de soude, la cannelle et le sel.
4. Couper deux pommes en petits cubes, couvrir avec une feuille de plastique alimentaire et mettre de côté.
5. Couper la troisième pomme en tranches de 6mm d'épaisseur et couvrir.

6. Dans un grand bol, battre les oeufs avec 1/2 tasse de sucre, pendant une minute.
7. Tout en continuant de fouetter, incorporer le yoghourt, l'huile, le rhum et l'extrait de vanille au mélange oeufs/sucre et battre pendant environ 1 minute, jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit homogène/lisse.
8. Tout en continuant d'utiliser le fouet, ou en utilisant une spatule, incorporer délicatement le mélange farine/poudre à lever/bicarbonate/cannelle/sel, puis incorporer la noix de coco et les cubes de pommes.
9. Verser la pâte dans le moule et secouer le moule afin que la pâte soit répartie de manière égale.
10. Répartir harmonieusement les tranches de pommes sur le dessus du cake et saupoudrer avec les 2 CC de sucre restantes.
11. Cuire pendant 45 to 50 minutes, jusqu'à ce que les pommes et le cake soit bien dorés et que la lame d'un couteau en resorte sèche/propre.
12. Placer le moule sur une grille et laisser refroidir le cake pendant 20 minutes.

Méthode pour le "nappage":
13. Pendant que le cake refroidit, faire fondre la gelée de pomme/le nappage avec l'eau, à feu doux jusqu'à ce qu'il soit complètement liquéfié.
14. Une fois le cake refroidi, ouvrir le moule et démouler le cake à l'aide d'un couteau.
15. Avec un pinceau à pâtisserie, napper le dessus du cake avec la gelée.
16. Laisser le nappage prendre.
17. Servir.

Remarques:
Utilisez des pommes Granny Smith or Golden.
Pour cette recette, privilégiez des huiles végétales neutres telles que l'huile de colza, de pépins de raisins, de tournesol ou d'arachide.

Si vous voulez, vous pouvez ajouter 1/2 tasse de noix de pécan ou de noix (de Grenoble) moulues (ou la même quantité de noix, finement hachées) à la pâte.
Vous pouvez remplacer les pommes par de l'ananas ou des poires.
Ce cake se conserve bien. Hermétiquement emballé, il se garde à température ambiante pendant 4 jours.
Il ne peut pas être congeler (à cause du nappage).

Idées de présentation:
Servir chaud, avec du lait condensé non-sucré ou à température ambiante avec de la crème fraîche (sucrée) ou de la crème fouettée.