Apple harvests are normally associated with autumn in many parts of the world. However, apples of all sorts are readily available throughout the year nowadays and can be purchased whenever you feel like it. Apples and apple-based desserts are also often associated with comfort eating and hearty, wholesome treats....exactly the sort of thing that so many of us find ourselves in need of at the moment given the current global health pandemic and unprecedented stress and uncertainty that we are all facing. If you're looking for a little slice of comfort and to bring a slice of Tuscany into your homes, then we might suggest trying out this recipe for one of Tuscany's most beloved traditional desserts, the “torta di mele,” or apple cake. Rich, dense, buttery, sweet, and tart, it is exactly what the doctor ordered. You know what they say, a Tuscan apple cake a day keeps the doctor away!
Torta di mele differs from the style of apple pie that is popular in the likes of Ireland, the UK, and the US in that the proportion of dough to apple is far smaller and the top tends to be uncovered and does not feature the crimped seal around the top that is so iconic in international apple pie variations. Instead, what you get is an apple pie, or cake, that has lots of apples and is incredibly sweet and moist. It is also often served as a breakfast food with coffee for adults or milk for children instead of as a dessert – or both! So, if you're stuck at home and are wishing you were travelling and experiencing different cuisines, why not make yourself a torta di mele, serve it up for breakfast (likely to the delight of all, but especially any kids, in the house), and travel to Tuscany from the comfort and safety of your own kitchen with your tastebuds? Just don't blame us if you develop a real taste for it and healthier breakfasts go right out the window!
Check out our recipe for a torta di mele:
Makes 8-10 servings.
Ingredients:
2tbsp of butter (plus a little extra to grease the pan)
200g of all purpose (or plain) flour
150g of sugar (plus a little extra)
2 large eggs
1/2 a cup of whole milk
2tsp of baking powder
1tsp of baking soda
4-5 large apples (weighing roughly 1kg)
The zest of 1 lemon
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Take a little butter and grease a cake pan.
3. Combine the eggs and 100g of the sugar together in a large bowl with whisk or handheld electric mixer until the mixture is creamy and light yellow in colour.
4. Add in the flour, milk, baking powder, baking soda, and the zest of the lemon.
5. Pour mixture into the greased cake pan.
6. Peel and core the apples. Dice one and stir it into the batter in the pan.
7. Slice the remaining apples thinly and spread in layers over the mix in the pan. Form a neat pattern and then press gently into the batter.
8. Scatter the butter in thin chunks over top and sprinkle the remaining sugar over the whole thing.
9. Bake for approximately 75 minutes until a dark golden colour and cooked right through.
10. Serve as a dessert or go properly Tuscan and enjoy it as an extra-special breakfast treat and enjoy savouring Tuscany from afar for now until we are all able to travel once more. And, of course, be sure to stay safe, be nice to yourself, and to eat some good, comforting Tuscan food.
Check out our recipe for a torta di mele:
Makes 8-10 servings.
Ingredients:
2tbsp of butter (plus a little extra to grease the pan)
200g of all purpose (or plain) flour
150g of sugar (plus a little extra)
2 large eggs
1/2 a cup of whole milk
2tsp of baking powder
1tsp of baking soda
4-5 large apples (weighing roughly 1kg)
The zest of 1 lemon
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Take a little butter and grease a cake pan.
3. Combine the eggs and 100g of the sugar together in a large bowl with whisk or handheld electric mixer until the mixture is creamy and light yellow in colour.
4. Add in the flour, milk, baking powder, baking soda, and the zest of the lemon.
5. Pour mixture into the greased cake pan.
6. Peel and core the apples. Dice one and stir it into the batter in the pan.
7. Slice the remaining apples thinly and spread in layers over the mix in the pan. Form a neat pattern and then press gently into the batter.
8. Scatter the butter in thin chunks over top and sprinkle the remaining sugar over the whole thing.
9. Bake for approximately 75 minutes until a dark golden colour and cooked right through.
10. Serve as a dessert or go properly Tuscan and enjoy it as an extra-special breakfast treat and enjoy savouring Tuscany from afar for now until we are all able to travel once more. And, of course, be sure to stay safe, be nice to yourself, and to eat some good, comforting Tuscan food.
