Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Cake
This is my new breakfast love! After French toast, muffins and pancakes I have a new addiction, I fell for the lightest and most perfect fruity cake you can imagine. I mixed the flour with cornstarch which makes the texture more fine, it's soft, fluffy and tender. That's all I could ask for on a morning table which doesn't mean that it wouldn't work for tea time either. The problem is that the cake didn't last that long!
I went for an apple topping but I already have a few variations in mind, with blueberries, plums, pears, even some sour gooseberries when their time has come again. The apples were just right for now, I cut them in half and scored their surface. That's how I prepare them for my crumble cake and it keeps them juicy. Before I put the cake in the oven I sprinkled it with a bit more cinnamon sugar than I would normally use and it made a nice thin crust, aromatic and crisp. I recommend making this cake in a springform pan not bigger than 20cm (8"). If you work with a bigger form the cake will turn out flat and possibly dry. It needs the height and here's were the quality of this cake lies, its lightness and sweet juiciness!
Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Cake
For a 20cm / 8" springform pan you need
sour baking apples (like boscoop), cored, peeled, cut in half and scored on the surface, 2-3
butter (at room temperature) 160g / 5.5 ounces
granulated sugar 90g / 3 ounces plus 2 tablespoons for the topping
organic eggs 3
plain flour 130g / 4.5 ounces
cornstarch 30g / 1 ounce
baking powder 1 heaping teaspoon
a pinch of salt
ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon, for the topping
Set the oven to 180°C / 355°F (fan assisted oven) and butter the springform pan.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and continue mixing for a few minutes until the mixture is thick and creamy. Mix in the dry mixture until well combined. Fill the dough into the buttered form and arrange the apples on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden on top. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean. Let the cake cool for a few minutes before you take it out of the springform.
