In early September this year, I visited my French friend near Geneva, right when the seasons turned. We spent a couple of sunny days swimming the lake, strolling through Carouge, and savouring the view of the city lights from the old town at night. About halfway through my stay, it got colder and the rainclouds came rolling in. We were just about to head into Geneva for a selection of events involving summery places like rooftops and boats, when we decided the weather called for something more cosy – and thus the idea of the cider cake was born.
The first version I made was the basic cider cake with a topping of homemade caramel and coarse salt. Now that autumn has truly arrived, though, I thought it would be fitting to add some cinnamon and fresh apples – a mulled cider version, if you like.
Here’s how to make the cake that will take you right to an afternoon cuddled up with mulled cider and caramel apples, after you spent the day apple picking and hiking through motley forests that cover the rolling hills, looking down over valleys where the golden sunlight chases away the last of the morning’s mist.
Ingedients
For the cake:
300 g flour
3-4 eggs (depending on the size)
1.5 tsp baking soda
Half a vanilla bean
125 g butter or margarine
3-4 heaped tsp honey
250-300 ml cider
For the seasonal version also add:
3 tsp cinnamon
2 apples
For the homemade caramel:
125 g butter or margarine
410 g condensed milk
150 g brown sugar
Some coarse salt, if you like
For the dough, mix first the dry ingredients and then add the rest. If you use apples, cut them into slices and arrange them on top of the cake. Bake for 45 minutes at 180°C.
For the caramel, melt the butter into the condensed milk on low heat. Add the brown sugar and keep at a simmer until the mixture thickens and takes on a light brown caramel-ly (duh) colour. STIR CONSTANTLY. You will need some patience, but once it starts, it’s fast.
Cover the cake in caramel while it’s still warm and hasn’t solidified yet. Sprinkle coarse salt to taste but keep in mind that the taste will become more intense the longer you let it sit.
Tamara was listening to the wind rustling through the leaves while writing this article.
