TNT French Apple Cake

[corazon]

Like an upside down apple cake. It is delicious!!!
French Apple Cake
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 ¾ cups sugar*
1/3 cup water
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large Granny Smith apples (about 1 ¼ pounds), peeled, cored, thinly sliced
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
3 ½ tablespoons Grand Marnier
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan (or pie pan) with 2-inch-high sides. Coat pan with sugar; tap out excess.
2. Melt ¼ cup butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in 3/4 cup sugar, water and cinnamon and bring to boil.
3. Add apples and cook until apples are just tender, turning frequently, about 15 minutes. Remove apples, using slotted spoon, and arrange evenly and if desired decoratively in bottom of pan. I just pour them in and it still looks great.
4. Continue boiling liquid in skillet until thick and syrupy, about 4 minutes. Pour over apples.
5. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into small bowl.
6. Whisk remaining 1 cup sugar, egg yolks, eggs, 3 TBS Grand Marnier and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Gently stir in dry ingredients. Fold in 1/2 cup melted butter.
7. Pour batter over apples in pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
8. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Brush bottom of cake with ½ TBS Grand Marnier.
9. Run small sharp knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto platter.
Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
*by the way, I made this last night and thought it was too sweet. When I make this again, I'll reduce the amounts of sugar. Maybe 1/2 cup with the apples and 3/4 in the cake. I think I'll also up the apples, maybe 4 next time.

 

[mish]

Cora, this looks luscious! The Grand Marnier must give the cake a whole new flavor. Saved for a special occasion. Thank you!!! Ooh-la-la.

 

[grumblebee]

Do you think another kind of apple would work for this? Braeburn or golden delicious, perhaps?

I really dislike granny smith apples, but this recipes sounds yummy.

 

[marmalady]

Other apples would be fine, just pick one that holds its shape during cooking; ie, a MacIntosh would just turn into applesauce when cooked, but something like a Fuji or Braeburn would be fine. I'm not partial to the 'delicious' apples, because I think all their deliciousness has been bred out of them!

 

[letscook]

Not one use to cooking with alchol, other then wine once in a awhile. What is Grand Marnier and is there something to subsitute it with. This sounds good and would like to try it.

 

[letscook]

Corazone 90
Did some research on Grand Marnier- orange flavored liqeur and found this at
http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/aa092302a.htm
If you don't want to go to the expense of using the liqueur or just do not want to use an alcohol, orange juice concentrate can usually be successfully substituted in most recipes.
My next question using the orange juice concentrate - will it really change the taste?
thanks

 

[urmaniac13]

YUM!! I love apple cakes in all forms, always looking for a new variation... this certainly looks like a winner!!

 

[pdswife]

Apple cakes are so good. Thanks for the recipe.

 

[corazon]

Corazone 90
Did some research on Grand Marnier- orange flavored liqeur and found this at
http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/aa092302a.htm
If you don't want to go to the expense of using the liqueur or just do not want to use an alcohol, orange juice concentrate can usually be successfully substituted in most recipes.
My next question using the orange juice concentrate - will it really change the taste?
thanks

lets cook! I'm not so sure about the oj. I think you'd have better luck omitting the Grand Marnier altogether. I think I made it like that years ago, but frankly I just can't quite remember.

 

[mish]

I would not alter/change a thing! The combo of the oj, grand marnier, and apples, to me, is what makes cora's original recipe A+ If a recipe appeals to me, I make it in it's entirety. That is not to say one could not sub ingredients... but I think the recipe as it stands would be compromised in flavor, baking time, etc. if major ingredients are substituted.

 

[callie]

Thank you, corazon! copied and pasted...and I can't wait to try this. I love apple-anything. And I like this recipe because it doesn't make a huge cake. Much more manageable for 2 people!!

 

[corazon]

I would not alter/change a thing! The combo of the oj, grand marnier, and apples, to me, is what makes cora's original recipe A+ If a recipe appeals to me, I make it in it's entirety. That is not to say one could not sub ingredients... but I think the recipe as it stands would be compromised in flavor, baking time, etc. if major ingredients are substituted.

Some people just don't like liqeuer and I can respect that.
Thanks for the A+ compliment mish! I hope you all like it and I'd like feedback from those of you who give it a whirl.

 

[letscook]

Thanks for the suggestions on substitutes. I try it with the grand marnier.
I sounds good.

 

[Michelemarie]

Cut and Pasted - maybe like ISO and TNT we should add CAP for cut and pasted! Anyways, I can't wait to try this cake - I love Grand Marnier, now I have a real reason to splurge and buy a bottle. Thanks for Sharing - another one, TFS!

 

[cristal]

Two other recommendations for alcohol substitutes would be to get non-alcoholic triple sec or orange curacao.

 

[thumpershere2]

O MY, I see a surge in the selling of apples. This looks like a geat recipe and I'm surly going to try it.Thanks so much for posting.

 

[urmaniac13]

Cora, I just made this cake last night and it is absolutely wonderful!! It survived a last minute crisis, I had forgotten that we had had omelette 2 nights before, and I found only 2 eggs in the fridge when apples and syrup were all prepared and waiting at the bottom of the cake form, at 11 at night!! Well, fortunately eggs were extra large so it counted for almost 4 eggs I believe. I just adjusted the amount of flour etc. thus there was less cake part and there was no extra egg yorks, just 2 extra large eggs, but the end result was just as good, actually we loved the extra apple and syrup (which made itself into a delicious crunchy topping around the edge) ...
I also made a little adjustment to the recipe, since I love the flavour of fresh apples, I just sliced them and laid them out into the cake form, without cooking, and prepared syrup separately and poured into them. I also liked that result, too... and boy, the effect of gran marnier.. that's simply gorgeous!!
Thanks so much for the recipe, I will be doing this again and again!!

 

[Marishka_20]

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy

mmmm...That sounds really good. I might have to make it for my mother in law the next time I am over there for dinner. Thank you for the great idea.

 

[corazon]

I must have missed your post urmaniac! I just saw it now. I'm glad it worked out well, even with all the last minute improvising. Has anyone else made it? I'm always curious.

 

[Dakota Rose]

Putting apples on my shopping list, this sounds great! Like Callie, I also appreciate smaller-sized recipes. I love cake, but 9x13 pan size is too much for me to handle!

Dakota