The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (317 page)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Pineapple has become synonymous with upside-down cake ever since canned pineapple was introduced into this country in the early 1900s. But at one time, upside-down cakes were made with seasonal fruit, such as apples. We loved the idea of resurrecting apple upside-down cake. We wanted a rich buttery cake topped with tightly packed, burnished, sweet apples. Most apples turned mushy and watery and were simply too sweet, but crisp, tart Granny Smiths made the cut (Golden Delicious worked well, too). We shingled the apples in the pan and poured the cake batter over the top. But once baked and inverted, our apple layer was shrunken and dry. The solution turned out to be increasing the number of apples for a hefty layer of fruit. This yielded better results, but they also added surplus moisture to the pan that turned our cake gummy. Precooking half the apples by sautéing them on the stovetop drew out some of this excess moisture and solved the problem. For the butter cake, we tested milk, buttermilk, yogurt, and sour cream. Sour cream won hands down—its subtle tang balanced the sweetness of the cake and complemented the caramelized apples. Cornmeal gave the cake a hint of earthy flavor and a pleasantly coarse texture.

SERVES 8

You will need a 9-inch nonstick cake pan with sides that are at least 2 inches tall. Alternatively, use a 10-inch ovensafe skillet (don’t use cast iron) to both cook the apples and bake the cake, with the following modifications: Cook the apples in the skillet and set them aside while mixing the batter (it’s fine if the skillet is still warm when the batter is added) and increase the baking time by 7 to 9 minutes. If you don’t have either a 2-inch-high cake pan or an ovensafe skillet, use an 8-inch square pan.

TOPPING

CAKE

1. FOR THE TOPPING:
Grease 9-inch round nonstick cake pan, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pan. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.
Halve apples from stem to blossom end. Cut 2 apples into ¹⁄
₄
-inch-thick slices; set aside. Cut remaining 2 apples into ¹⁄
₂
-inch-thick slices. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add ¹⁄
₂
-inch-thick apple slices and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times, until apples begin to caramelize, 4 to 6 minutes (do not fully cook apples). Add ¹⁄
₄
-inch-thick apple slices, brown sugar, and lemon juice and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and apples are coated, about 1 minute longer. Transfer apple mixture to prepared pan and lightly press into even layer.

3. FOR THE CAKE:
Whisk flour, cornmeal, if using, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs together in large bowl until thick and thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla and whisk until combined. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly over fruit. Bake cake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

4.
Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of cake to loosen. Place wire rack over pan and, holding rack tightly, invert cake pan and wire rack together. Lift off pan. Place wire rack with cake over baking sheet or large plate to catch any drips. If any fruit sticks to pan bottom, remove and position it on top of cake. Let cake cool completely, about 20 minutes, then transfer to serving platter and serve.

You will need ¹⁄
₄
cup whole almonds to make ¹⁄
₃
cup ground almonds. To grind the almonds, process them in a food processor for about 45 seconds.

Whisk ¹⁄
₃
cup finely ground toasted almonds with flour, baking powder, and salt and add 1 teaspoon almond extract to batter with sour cream and vanilla in step 3.

Add 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest and 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme to batter with sour cream and vanilla in step 3.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Applesauce cakes run the gamut from dense, chunky fruitcakes to gummy “health” cakes without much flavor. We wanted a moist and tender cake that actually tasted like its namesake. It was easy to achieve the looser, more casual crumb that is best suited to a rustic snack cake. Since this texture is similar to that of quick breads and muffins, we used the same technique, mixing the wet ingredients separately and then gently adding the dry ingredients by hand. The harder challenge was to develop more apple flavor; simply adding more applesauce made for a gummy cake and fresh apples added too much moisture. But two other sources worked well. Apple cider, reduced to a syrup, contributed a pleasing sweetness and a slight tang without excess moisture. And plumping dried apples in the cider while it was reducing added even more apple taste without making the cake chunky. With such great apple flavor, we didn’t want the cake to be too sweet or rich, so we rejected the idea of topping the cake with a glaze or frosting. But we found we liked the modicum of textural contrast provided by a simple sprinkling of spiced granulated sugar.

SERVES 8

The cake is very moist, so it is best to err on the side of overdone when testing its doneness. The test kitchen prefers the rich flavor of cider, but apple juice can be substituted.

1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Make foil sling by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so that they are as wide as 8-inch square baking pan. Lay sheets of foil in pan, perpendicular to one another, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray.

2.
Bring dried apples and cider to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat and cook until liquid evaporates and mixture appears dry, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

3.
Whisk flour and baking soda in medium bowl to combine. In second medium bowl, whisk sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Measure 2 tablespoons sugar mixture into small bowl and reserve for topping.

4.
Process cooled apple mixture and applesauce in food processor until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, and set aside. Whisk egg and salt in large bowl to combine. Add sugar mixture and whisk until well combined and light colored, about 20 seconds. Add butter in 3 additions, whisking after each addition. Add applesauce mixture and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and fold gently using rubber spatula until just combined and evenly moistened.

5.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Sprinkle reserved sugar mixture evenly over batter. Bake cake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cake cool completely on wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove cake from pan using foil and transfer to platter. Gently push side of cake with knife and remove foil, 1 piece at a time. Serve. (Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

Omit cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk ¹⁄
₂
teaspoon ground ginger and ¹⁄
₄
teaspoon ground cardamom into sugar in step 3. Reserve 2 tablespoons sugar mixture and add 1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger to topping.

In step 3, measure 2 tablespoons sugar mixture into medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons brown sugar, ¹⁄
₃
cup chopped pecans or walnuts, and ¹⁄
₃
cup old-fashioned or quick oats. Work in 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter until fully incorporated by rubbing mixture between fingers. Pinch mixture into hazelnut-size clumps and sprinkle evenly over batter before baking.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Most gingerbread recipes that are moist also suffer from a dense, sunken center, and flavors range from barely gingery to addled with enough spices to make a curry fan cry for mercy. Our ideal gingerbread was moist through and through and utterly simple. Focusing on flavor first, we bumped up the ginger flavor by using a hefty dose of ground ginger and folded in grated fresh ginger. Cinnamon and fresh-ground pepper helped produce a warm, complex, lingering heat. As for the liquid components, dark stout, gently heated to minimize its booziness, had a bittersweet flavor that brought out the caramel undertones of the molasses. Finally, swapping out the butter for vegetable oil and replacing some of the brown sugar with granulated let the spice flavors come through. To prevent a sunken center, we looked at our leaveners first. Baking powder isn’t as effective at leavening if too many other acidic ingredients are present in the batter. In this case, we had three: molasses, brown sugar, and stout. Bucking the usual protocol for cakes and incorporating the baking soda with the wet ingredients instead of the other dry ones helped to neutralize those acidic ingredients before they get incorporated into the batter and allowed the baking powder to do a better job. And while stirring develops flour’s gluten, which is typically the enemy of tenderness, our batter was so loose that vigorous stirring actually gave our cake the structure necessary to further ensure the center didn’t collapse.