Autumnal German Apple Cake

 

Hello Loose shoppers,

How is shopping local and plastic-free going? Have you found some nice containers or glass jars to store your organic dry goods in? I like finding just the right size for say my daily tea or a much smaller one for my chilli powder. 

We’re definitely deeply into autumn and the apples are more than ripe and ready to be pressed into fresh juice, stewed for apple puree to freeze (and eat), cooked into an Apple Date Tamarind Chutney (recipe in this  cookbook), or baked into an Apple Cake! 

How about a German Apple Cake?

This one is actually from an absolute awesome Berlin blog called www.eat-this.org, but I’ve translated it for you. You might like to check out the link to this recipe anyway to get a better picture, here.

Note: You can make this vegan or not. Don’t fret, if you’re vegan use vegan ‘butter’ aka margarine, if you’re not vegan then use butter. Also, if you’re gluten-free use a gluten-free flour mix and if you’re not celiac then use spelt or even wheat flour. Too easy.
My personal note would be to add a touch of lemon rind to the apples or the crumble, perhaps even a dash of Brandy and add a little less sugar in the dough, if you have troubles with blood sugar levels. Or just stick to this recipe exactly, it works wonders, I tried it.

My personal notes are in italic below.

German Apple Cake 

by EAT THIS

A simple vegan apple pie with crumbs on top and a fine shortcrust pastry base. Super juicy, fruity, cinnamon, just like at grandma’s.

PREPARATION 30 MINUTES
MORE PREPARATION 45 MINUTES

Ingredients for 8-10 pieces

FOR THE SIMPLE PASTRY BASE

200g whole wheat flour (I used spelt flour)
100g erythritol or raw cane sugar (I used coconut sugar)
100g vegan butter cold + 1/2 teaspoon for greasing the springform pan (I used butter)
1 pinch of salt

FOR THE FILLING

750g sour apples e.g. B. Boskop, Elstar
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla (I forgot this, don’t forget yours)
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 tbsp sultanas

FOR THE CRUMBLE

100g wheat flour (I used spelt flour)
50g vegan butter cold (I used butter)
50g erythritol or raw cane sugar (I used coconut sugar)
1 pinch of salt

WHAT TO DO:

For the shortcrust pastry, quickly mix flour, erythritol or sugar, cold vegan butter pieces and salt to a crumbly dough. Then shape into a ball and keep covered in the refrigerator until further processing. (This took a little longer than just ‘quickly’.)

Peel, quarter and core the apples. Then cut into 3mm thin slices and mix with lemon juice. Add vanilla, cinnamon and sultanas and fold through.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C top / bottom heat.

Line the springform pan (24 cm diameter) with baking paper, grease the edge. 
Pour (or crumble as I did) shortcrust pastry into the springform pan, distribute and press flat evenly. Form a border about 2cm high. This is best done with the back of a spoon. (I used my paws for this and it took a while, some deep breathing and patience to make it nice and neatly distributed, a lovely meditation.)

Spread the apple mixture on the cake base.

For the crumble, mix all the ingredients with a fork or your hands (definitely choose your hands) and work into coarse crumble. Top the cake evenly with it.
Bake on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes. Let the cake cool down briefly and remove it from the springform pan.
Serve lukewarm or cold.
(Try not to eat too much of it at once and delight in a slice every day until it’s gone...) 

 

So, if you haven’t discovered Lansdown Street in Stroud yet, come and adventure off the beaten track and find LOOSE the plastic-free shop at 4 Lansdown, Stroud GL5 1BB.

Loose has my brand new plant-based and gluten-free cookbook LICK YOUR PLATE stocked now too!

See you there,

Maria-Carin Gala from Gala's Organic Kitchen,

on behalf of Loose the plastic-free shop in Stroud.