Torta di mele della mia mamma

I grew up with my mom’s apple cake and every time I eat it or even think about it, it always brings back happy memories. I still see me and my sister hiding and waiting for my mom to leave the kitchen so we could steal another piece of cake. We were allowed to eat only one slice, like if it were possible.
Needless to say it’s one of my favorite apple cakes. I personally like an apple cake packed with apples then when it cools down, gets really soft and has almost a creamy consistency, like this one.
I prefer to taste the apple flavor in an apple cake so, I don’t like spices that can compromise that flavor. The lesser ingredients the better, the apple is the most important ingredients so they have to be good to make a good apple cake. I usually use Golden Delicious apples but I’m experimenting with some red apples that are specifically used in baking. I’ll let you know.

This is also a good snack to prepare for your kids after a long day of school, to recharge their batteries before they start their homework or sport activities.

Ingredients

10 to 12 Golden Delicious apples
6 eggs
2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
6 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch
12 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
pinch of salt
lemon zest from of one non treated lemon, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 shot dry Marsala wine*
10 tablespoons light brown sugar + 2 tablespoons for the topping
unsalted butter for the topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 350°.
2. Core, peel and slice the apples in this slices. No more than 1/8 inch thick.
3. Lay the sliced apples evenly into a buttered and floured cake pan or you can use parchment paper and avoit this passage. The pan I used for this recipe was 11 x 14 inches.
4. Beat the eggs with the sugar until foamy. Add lemon zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla, salt, flour, potato starch and baking powder. Mix until well blended and then pour the batter over the apples. You can also use a food processor.
5. Pour the shot of Marsala over the top, sprinkle with a couple of spoons of sugar and dot with few pieces of butter.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve at room temperature.

Notes