I once had the great privilege of visiting Germany, and while I was in Munich, I sampled a cake I saw in a number of bakery windows. It was bursting with a multitude of luscious apple slices that were barely held together with a dense, lightly sweetened dough.
This cake is my best attempt at reproducing what I tasted in Germany. I wasn't vegan at the time I was visiting, but I think this veganized version comes pretty darn close.
The apples are marinated in sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice while you make up the dough in a mixer. Vegan margarine and a little agave nectar are blended together along with vegan yogurt and vanilla. After the dry ingredients are mixed in, you should have a rich, sticky batter.
Fold everything together and throw in a few raisins if you like. After baking for about an hour, the cake should be a beautiful golden brown and the edges should pull away from the sides of the pan. Let it cool for a while, then mix up a simple glaze of powdered sugar and soy milk.
Flip the dish over on to a serving platter and pull it off the cake, then pour the glaze on top. Cut into squares and dig in!
Glazed German Apple Cake
Serves 9
Ingredients
Cake
4 medium tart
apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon
freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons
cinnamon, divided
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking
powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup vegan
margarine, softened
1 cup plain vegan yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons
raisins (optional)
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons soy milk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Coat an 8” baking dish with cooking spray.
- Combine apples in a large bowl with lemon juice, sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon until well coated. Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, baking soda and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a separate large bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together agave nectar and margarine until smooth. Beat in yogurt and vanilla until well mixed. On a low speed, beat in flour mixture a little at a time until a thick, sticky batter is formed.
- Fold apple mixture and raisins (if using) into the batter, then pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for 55-60 minutes, then let cool in pan for 30 minutes.
- Once cake has cooled, prepare the glaze. Mix together powdered sugar and soy milk until smooth. Run a knife around the edges of the baking dish, then turn cake out onto serving platter. Drizzle with glaze and cut into squares.