Apple and vanilla casserole

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 organic lemon(s)
• 3 apples
• ½ stalk(s) Bourbon vanilla bean(s)
• 100 g butter, room temperature
• 80 g sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 150 g flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 40 g almond sticks
• 2 tsp powdered sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

Wash and dry the lemon, and finely grate 1 teaspoon of the zest. Squeeze out the juice. Wash, core, and slice the apples lengthwise, then mix with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Halve the vanilla pod, split it lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature. Grease a baking dish (18 x 18 cm) with 10g of butter. Beat the lemon zest, vanilla seeds, 80g butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt with a hand mixer until creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix the flour with the baking powder and stir into the butter mixture along with the remaining lemon juice. Spread the batter into the greased baking dish. Top with the apples and sprinkle with almonds. Place the remaining butter in small pieces on top. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for approximately 25-30 minutes. When no batter sticks to the skewer, the casserole is ready. Let the cake cool in the pan and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar. Peel the apples if desired.