Gedeckter Apfelkuchen
My dear Swiss mother was a marvelous cook. Gravenstein apple trees in her garden gave us bushels of apples each fall and we always had fun cooking up delectable pastries.
I hope to plant some apple trees on our mountain property by the port-a-hut. With bears and an elevation of 9,000 feet, this will be challenging. Our local nursery carries Haralson trees, an apple variety developed in 1920 by the University of Minnesota to flourish in their long cold winters and hot dry summers. Rated for zone 3, which goes to 40 degrees below, they may grow well on our plot.
Apples require cross pollination, so we’d have to buy at least two trees. At $75 each it gets a bit pricey. They’re on sale at the moment, and what girl can resist picking up a few items at bargain prices? 20% off barely shaves enough to convince Lou it’s a deal. Perhaps an Apfelkuchen with a little whipped cream will give him enough calories to dig out his wallet. I’ll make one of my childhood favorites.
Gedeckter Apfelkuchen, covered apple cake
Dough
2.5 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 teaspoons milk
Apple filling
4 apples
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Core, peel and finely slice four apples. An apple peeler quickly gets this step done.
Partially cook apples, adding raisins if apples are tart. Season apples with spices and brown sugar. Add lemon juice if apples are dry or too sweet.
Mix dough ingredients to form a soft ball. My favorite tool for this is a food processor. It forms a ball without over mixing. Divide in two portions, with one slightly larger. Roll out slightly larger half to 13" round. A plastic pie sleeve makes rolling out the dough incredibly easy.
Place in bottom of lightly greased 10 inch spring form. Make a one inch rim.
Roll out other half for top to 10 inches in diameter, just wide enough in diameter to cover.
Place dough on top, pressing down on rim to seal. Bake about 45 minutes, 350 degrees. Check midway and cover with foil if top is browning too quickly. Finished caked will have a golden brown crust. En Guete!!
You can whip this out in a jiffy with the right tools. Here are a few that I find indispensable:
Set of 2 – Easy Pie Crust Maker Bag, 11″ and 14″
Kaiser Bakeware Basic Tinplate Nested Springform Pans, Set of 3
Victorio VKP1011 Apple and Potato Peeler, Clamp Base
Cuisinart DLC-10S Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor, White
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