Sunken Apple Cake 'Meersburg'

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 200 g margarine (see note)
• 150 g sugar, fine, white
• 4 eggs, size M
• 1 lemon(s), untreated
• 200 g wheat flour type 405
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 5 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 30 g candied orange peel, in small cubes
• 1 tbsp, levelled citric acid, crystalline
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 80 g water
• 3 large apples (Boskoop or Red Fuji)
• e.g. margarine for greasing the baking tin
• e.g. cashew nuts, roasted
• n. B. Orange syrup

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 1 hour 10 minutes

A handheld or stand mixer is required to make the batter. This recipe is for a 26 cm springform pan. Either moisten the springform pan and line it with baking paper or grease it with margarine. All ingredients should be at room temperature. Melt the margarine in a double boiler, but do not exceed 45 degrees Celsius. Weigh the sugar. Crack the eggs, separating the egg whites and yolks. Make sure not a single yolk ends up in the egg whites, otherwise the beaten egg whites will not be able to stand upright. Wash the lemon in warm water, dry it, and finely grate the zest. Then halve it crosswise and squeeze out the juice. Mix the weighed wheat flour with the baking powder and set aside. Mix the citric acid with the sugar, cinnamon, and water. To prevent the apples from turning brown, immediately soak all the treated apple quarters in it. Then transfer them to another bowl. Wash, peel, and quarter the apples, removing the stems, cores, and any remaining blossoms. Make crosswise cuts with a knife about 5 mm deep and about 6 mm apart (see photo). Immediately dip each finished quarter in the marinade, remove, and let drain. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the lemon water a tablespoon at a time. Then, while whisking, pour in the melted margarine in a thin stream. Then add the orange juice and vanilla extract a tablespoon at a time. Mix the flour well with the baking powder and add to the sugar mixture a tablespoon at a time. Depending on the flour’s ability to swell, add orange juice a tablespoon at a time if the batter becomes too stiff. Clean the whisk thoroughly and use a steel, grease-free mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat the egg whites on the highest setting until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter and mix evenly, stirring vertically. Finally, fold in the candied orange peel cubes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (bottom heat). Pour the prepared batter into the pan. Place 9 apple quarters around the circumference and 3 more in the center. Decorate with cashew nuts. Bake the cake on the middle rack for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the apples with the orange syrup. Cover and let ripen in the refrigerator overnight. Cut into 9 pieces (always cut between the apples) and serve cool to room temperature. Note: Butter loses its flavor during baking and can be replaced with margarine without any loss of flavor. Margarine usually contains a little salt, so there is no need to add salt to the batter.