Apple cider cake

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 300 g butter, soft
• 300 g sugar
• 300 g flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 packs of pudding powder, vanilla, for cooking
• 1 liter of apple cider
• 200 g sugar
• 4 apples, sweet, crumbly
• possibly cream
• Almonds, in sticks
• powdered sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Palatinate Äppelwoi cake

Simple but impressive! And super delicious: Separate the eggs, beat the butter, sugar, and egg yolks until fluffy, sift the flour over the egg whites, and mix them with the butter mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them lightly into the batter. Grease a 28cm springform pan, pour in the batter, and form a rim at least 5cm high (perhaps the trickiest part, as the dough is very soft, but with a little patience and a wet spoon, you’ll get the edge right). To ensure the cake’s stability, make sure the base isn’t too thin. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-assisted). Meanwhile, peel and core the apples, and cut them into thin slices. Cook the pudding according to the package instructions, using wine instead of milk. Let it cool slightly. Arrange the apple slices close together in a circle on the pastry base, pressing them slightly into the batter. Now carefully pour the still-warm pudding mixture over the top. Tip: Carefully arrange portions over the apples using a spoon or ladle to prevent the apple slices from “floating.” Bake the cake on the middle rack for about 75 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a wooden skewer into the edge of the pastry; no pastry should stick to it. Leave the cake in the pan and let it cool completely (preferably overnight). Carefully loosen it from the edge with a sharp knife. Extra tips: Instead of apple cider, you can also use sweet white wine. Or a mixture of wine and apple juice. For the non-alcoholic version, simply use pure apple juice—this way, even children will enjoy it. If you like, sprinkle the surface with almond slivers before baking. OR: before serving, spread stiffly whipped cream (preferably with cinnamon) and/or flaked almonds over the cooled cake. Or simply dust with powdered sugar.