Apple Ginger Cake with Whipped Cinnamon Crème Fraîche

For the best flavor, use a mix of sweet and tart apples in this cake, and choose firm varieties that will hold their structure during baking.

By / Photography By | September 17, 2019

Ingredients

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
  • 4 apples
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • Sliced almonds

Instructions

To make the crème fraîche, mix heavy cream and buttermilk in a clean jar and secure a piece of cheesecloth over the top with a rubber band to allow some air flow. Place on the counter for 12 to 24 hours until it thickens (if your kitchen is cold, it might take longer). Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you don’t have time to make your own, you can use store-bought or replace with sour cream.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Cut a round piece of parchment paper and place in the bottom of the pan. If using a regular cake pan, line with parchment paper, enough to hang over the sides so that it’s easy to remove the cake after baking.

Peel, core and slice apples into half moons and set aside. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the sugar and butter for about 1 minute until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and beat until just mixed. Add ½ cup crème fraîche and ginger; beat until combined.

Mix in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula and stir until there are no lumps or dry bits of flour. Fold about ¼ of the sliced apples into the batter and stir until fully coated. Pour batter into the greased pan and smooth out the top. With the remaining apples, create a pattern on top, laying slices however you like and pressing them slightly into the batter.

Bake for 70 to 80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the apples begin to brown too quickly, place a piece of foil on top during the last 10 minutes of baking.

While the cake bakes, use an electric mixer to whip 1 cup of the remaining crème fraîche with brown sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon until stiff peaks form. Store in the fridge until the cake is ready to serve.

When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Run a knife along the outside edge before removing from the pan. Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.

Just before serving, sprinkle with sliced almonds. Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped crème fraîche. 

Edible Michiana original recipe

Related Stories & Recipes

Try a new variety of apple this year

Once fall rolls around in Michiana, heading to a local orchard floats up on my to-do list. There’s a simple pleasure in going out to a field of trees, enjoying the still-warm weather and low autumn su...

Heirloom Apples

“Almost all wild apples are handsome. They cannot be too gnarly and crabbed and rusted to look at. The gnarliest will have some redeeming traits even to the eye.”   —Henry David Thoreau ...

Ingredients

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
  • 4 apples
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • Sliced almonds
We will never share your email address with anyone else. See our privacy policy.