French Apple Cake w/ Golden Syrup & Almond Extract (Non-A) (GF)

This French Apple Cake is described as "the essence of simplicity" but its taste is off the charts ~ even with the modifications made to meet our paleo-inspired guidelines. It's always easy to substitute Cup4Cup gluten free flour for regular flour and to reduce the amount of granulated sugar, but the challenge was to find a non-alcoholic substitute for the rum that is traditionally used in the cake. Mais, voila! Replacing the amount of rum with a mixture of Lyle's Golden Syrup and almond extract produced a flavorful and moist cake that complemented the apples perfectly. In typical French fashion, the cake ages well ~ just store it at room temperature under a covered dome for the next few days.

My Paleo Marin Rating: 5+* 

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free flour, spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off, preferably Cup4Cup Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour

1 slightly-rounded teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra to sprinkle over top of cake before baking

The cake is best served warm

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Lyle's Golden Syrup + 1 tablespoon almond extract, stirred together in a small bowl

3 assorted apples, cored, peeled and chopped into 1/2” cubes, such as: 1 Honey Crisp, 1 Pink Lady, and 1 Grannie Smith (or whatever is available), about 3 1/2 - 4 cups total (Note: to avoid discoloration of the apples, prepare the apples while the butter and sugar are creaming.)

Optional: Top with a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar or dollop of ice cream or creme fraiche.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9” springform pan. Cut parchment paper to fit over the bottom. Butter the parchment paper and sides again as needed.

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or handheld mixer), beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 10 seconds for soft butter. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar and beat on medium until the mixture is light and airy, about 2 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl half way through. For a video to see how everything looks at each step, see King Arthur Baking Company link here.

3. With the stand fixer on medium, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla extract and then the golden syrup mixture. Turn the stand mixer to low and add the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be thick. Remove the bowl (if using a stand mixer).  Gently mix in the prepared apples. 

4. With a flexible spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan. Spread out the batter with an offset server or knife to even out the batter as much as possible (see photo below). Apples will poke through the batter. Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar (about 1-2 tablespoons).

5. Bake on the middle rack until a wooden skewer comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the springform pan and carefully move the cake onto the rack, removing the parchment paper on the bottom. Let cool a bit more, but best served warm. Store for 3-4 days at room temperature under a covered dome. No need for freezing instructions as there won’t be any left but you can check the original recipe link below if you need to do so.

Batter ready for the oven

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Recipe adapted from Once Upon a Chef blog here.

*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.