Apple Gateau Breton with Salted Caramel Sauce

  • Gateau Breton with Caramelized Apples

    When I tell you that ‘Gâteau Breton’ is just French for ‘freaking awesome cake’, believe me.  (Well.  Gateau does mean cake en francais, but that’s the end of the translation class.)  All you need to know is that this cake has a remarkable number of reasons to bake it into your life:

    • Caramel.  This cake can hold its own without the caramel poured over the edge of each piece, I must admit.  But.  Caramel.  Caramel.  (I’m making that look, the look of consternation.  Caramel consternation.)
    • Rich & buttery.  It’s like a pound cake.  It’s dense but not in a sink to the bottom of your stomach kind of way.  Its texture gets better after a day or so.
    • Easy.  You know I loves me a dessert that doesn’t require a mixer or blender or food processor.  Anything that can be made with the act of stirring a bowl into a spoon scores additional points in my books.
    • Apples.  I know you can’t really see them in the picture above, but there’s a whole layer of caramelized apple going on at the bottom of this cake.  I know- like the caramel, it’s a clincher.
    • French.  It’s just more special because it’s from another land.

    Cheers to the fall.  Apples, gâteaus and caramel, all fall long.

    Adapted from bon appetit’s lovely recipe…

    SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE:

    ½ cup sugar

    ½ cup heavy cream

    3 tablespoons butter, unsalted

    ½ teaspoon salt

    CAKE:

    10 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons butter (unsalted, 1½ sticks), melted & slightly cooled, divided

    1¼ cups flour

    4 firm, tart apples, peeled, cored & sliced ½” thick

    2 tablespoons + 1 cup plus sugar, divided

    1 teaspoon baking powder

    ¾ teaspoon salt

    1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated

    3 large eggs

    1 tablespoon dark rum

    1. MAKE CARAMEL SAUCE:
      1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring sugar and ¼ cup water to a boil while stirring to dissolve sugar.  As sugar boils, stop stirring and swirl pan every 30 seconds or so, brushing sides of saucepan with a wet pastry brush (to prevent sugar crystals from forming).  Cook until sugar mixture turns a deep amber color (about 8–12 minutes).
      2. Remove from heat and slowly stir in cream (mixture will bubble up big-time).
      3. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes.
      4. Remove from heat and mix in butter and salt.
      5. Pour caramel sauce into a small heatproof jar or bowl; allow to cool.
    2. MAKE CAKE:
      1. Preheat to 350°.  Grease an 8″ cake pan and line bottom of pan with a circle of parchment.
      2. Caramelize Apples:  in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Add apples, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are golden brown (10–12 minutes).  Arrange apples in the bottom of prepared cake pan.
      3. In a large bowl, whisk baking powder, salt, lemon zest, 1¼ cups flour, and remaining 1 cup sugar.
      4. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs and stir in 10 tablespoons of melted butter and rum.  Whisk into large bowl with dry ingredients; be careful not to over mix.
      5. Pour batter over apples in cake pan.  Bake cake for 40 – 50 minutes (until top is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean of crumbs).  Transfer pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes; turn cake out onto rack to cool.  Serve with salted caramel sauce.

    Tips:

    • Apple choices are up to you… ideally you’ll use firm apples like Braeburn, which won’t get mushy when you caramelize them.  You might want to layer the apples through the cake, too, like the original recipe called for.
    • Want to skip the apples?  Do it.  I know it takes time to peel and core and slice, and sometimes you just don’t have it.
    • Serving ideas also include whipped cream, ice cream (an incredible vanilla or a great rum & raisin… that would be amazing) and sprinklings of confectioners’ sugar.
    • Sprinkle your caramel with flaked salt when serving, like Maldon (my very very favorite).  If you don’t have flaked salt, then just don’t worry about it.
    • Freeze your heart out!  The cake freezes well (wrapped well, of course) and the caramel freezes well too (wrapped in its own container).  Eat at room temperature.
    • Enjoy!

     

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    November 2nd, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: ,

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