Café Triskele Brown Butter Apple Cake
Ingredients
- Juice from 1 whole lemon
- 2 medium baking apples (such as Braeburn, Cortland, Jonathan, Gala, Granny Smith)
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 4½ ounces all-purpose flour (plus some for coating ramekins)
- 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 ounces granulated sugar
- 1½ ounces light brown sugar
- 1 whole egg
- 3½ ounces buttermilk
- 1½ ounces light vegetable oil, such as canola, avocado or light olive
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.Fill a bowl with cold water; add the lemon juice.
- Peel apples and dice them into ½-inch cubes; you cut, add them to the lemon water to keep them from oxidizing.
- Strain apples and place on a baking sheet in single layer.
- Bake 10–12 minutes; apples should hold their shape but be knife tender.
- Reserve apples.
- Turn oven down to 350°.
- Prepare ramekins with cooking spray or butter and flour.
- Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a slow boil; allow to boil for several minutes until you start to see the milk solids browning on the bottom of the pan. Adjust heat to low and continue to swirl pan (or stir butter with a heat-safe spatula) until the liquid is brown and you smell a nice nutty aroma. Reserve the brown butter.
- Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices into a bowl.
- Stir in both sugars and brown butter until well combined.
- Stir in egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla, one addition at a time, until incorporated.
- Fold in the majority of your roasted apples, reserving a few for garnish.
- Portion into ramekins and bake for 16–18 minutes
- Cakes should bounce back when pressed gently.
- Remove cakes from the ramekins and serve on a dessert plate with your favorite vanilla ice cream and reserved roasted apple pieces.
Notes
Chefs’ tips: If you don’t have buttermilk, substitute with whole milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. Chef used apples from Windy Hill farm in GB, and butter and ice cream from High Lawn Farm, Lee.
