Another Norwegian Apple Cake

Last weekend, R made an apple cake that was dreamy. I'll admit that we've been a little obsessed with baking with apples lately, and I'm not sure it shows any signs of stopping. I have yet another apple cake, or pie kind of, at least, an apple dessert that I've made before and that I've been craving lately, and another one that I made recently but haven't put up. (I didn't love the pictures, although I did love the cake.) So don't be too surprised if both of those also show up in the near future. I'm not one to resist cravings. I don't believe in it, as a rule.

But first, let's talk about this particular cake, because it is pretty particular. First, R used green apples. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Right from the oven the green apples were waaay too much. Too tart, too overpowering, too green. Bummer. But by the next day, the cake had cooled, the flavor had mellowed, and things were looking up. It became the perfect breakfast cake, of the European variety. Okay, now I'm making things up, that part about it having some kind of intrinsically European quality. That is just to say that it's not a flouncy, springing, fluffy American cake whose sole purpose in life seems to be climbing up the sides of the cake pan. This one didn't rise much, perhaps weighed down by the apples, it stayed pretty earth-bound. Denser, like a breakfast cake. I said that already. So anyway, I recommend making it, and then waiting, and eating a sophisticated breakfast. Like a European.

The recipe comes from yet another Norwegian cookbook that R's parents gave to us, but it's been translated and modified by R along the way. The measurements were in deciliters, one of which is equal to about 1/2 a cup. But maybe you have a liter measuring cup yourself? It wouldn't be a horrible investment anyway, because then you don't have to worry about that little bit of difference between the deciliter and the half cup. So you'll find deciliters below because that's what we used, and I therefore can't guarantee the results if you convert to cups. (But it will probably be fine. This is a simple little cake, afterall.)

Another Norwegian Apple Cake
Adapted and translated from Kokebok for alle

2 eggs
1 1/2 deciliters sugar plus 2 tablespoons for tossing the apples
3 apples, peeled, cored and diced (I'd recommend red. I'm a sucker for Pink Ladies.)
1/2 deciliter walnuts
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 deciliters milk
3 deciliters flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon plus a sprinkle more for tossing the apples

Oven preheated to 350F. Grease a round cake pan and set aside (we used a 9" springform pan).

Whip the eggs and the 1 1/2 deciliters sugar together until the mixture is stiff. Toss the apples with the extra cinnamon and extra sugar, then stir them into the batter along with the nuts, butter and milk. Sift in the flour, baking powder and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Use a rubber spatula to mix until combined and free of lumps.

Pour into a round cake pan and place in the middle of the pre-heated oven. Bake for about 1 hour, until it passes the toothpick test. Remove from the oven, and let it stand for a few minutes before turning it out onto a cooling wrack.