cardamom & apple invisible cake

'invisible' layers of apples held together with cardamom-scented batter

‘invisible’ layers of apples give this cake its name

the first time i made this cake, i dutifully cracked out the kitchenaid and whipped together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, then folded and sifted in the rest of the ingredients delicately as if making a sponge cake

the apple slices were poured in and delicately folded together, then i spent 20 minutes assembling wet, slippery apple slices and getting batter drips everywhere

it was great! but i really questioned why recipes would have you make this light, airy cake batter then hold it down with layers of apples to make a cake that really wants to be quite solid?

can you tell if these eggs were whipped and light and fluffy or dumped into a bowl?

so i made it again, with a streamlined method (aka the dump and stir) and it was just as lovely as previously and the texture essentially identical without any whipping to soft peaks, gentle folding or heavy machinery

serves eight

ingredients

0.5 tsp cardamom seeds

28g butter

120g milk (or soy milk)

1.2kg (about 5) baking apples (i used a selection of the winners from my apple taste test)

3 eggs

100g caster sugar

140g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

method

preheat the oven to 180°C

butter and flour a loaf tin and line it with a sling of baking paper

roughly crush the cardamom seeds (0.5 tsp) with a mortar and pestle

add the crushed cardamom seeds, butter (28g), and milk (120g) to a small saucepan

warm gently to allow the cardamom to infuse the milk

once the butter has melted, turn off the heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the apples

peel the apples and cut into very thin slices (ideally with a mandolin)

returning to the cooled cardamom mixture, whisk in the eggs (3) and caster sugar (100g)

add the flour (140g) and baking powder (1 tsp) and whisk until just combined

brush a layer of the cardamom batter on the base of the loaf tin

arrange a layer of apples across the base of the loaf tin, making sure to press the straight edges of the apple slices hard against the outer edges of the tin

repeat brushing the batter and layering the apples until you have used all the apples (or the loaf tin is full!)

bake for 45-55 minutes until puffed and golden brown on top

remove from the oven and let cool completely (at least 1-2 hours) in the tin

once completely cooled, remove from the tin and serve in slices

serve warm or cold, pan toasted with butter, or with a dollop of cream

variations

pear & almond: swap the apples for pears (choose very firm variety like beurre bosc or packham), cardamom seeds for 0.25 tsp almond extract and top with flaked almonds before baking

optional: gild the lily and brûlée a slice