Delicious Apple Cake

Who doesn't like apple cake? Apple cake is definitely one of the most popular cakes in Germany. Having grown up in that country I have certainly eaten my share of them - and there are plenty of different recipes to choose from. I am partial to one recipe in particular which comes from an old cookbook my grandmother used. I have made very few changes to the original recipe from "Dr. Oetker: Backen macht Freude".

Dough:

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 small eggs
a pinch of salt
zest of one organic lemon
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
5 medium-size apples, peeled, quartered and cored. Crisscross top of apple quarters with sharp knife.

Glaze:
1 tsp clear gelatin powder
2 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp apricot jam
powdered sugar if desired

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan thoroughly.
• Cream butter with a handheld mixer and gradually add sugar, one egg at a time, salt and lemon zest. Mix until your dough is light and well mixed, 2-3 minutes.
• Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon together and add to butter mixture. Stir until mixed and pour batter into greased cake pan.
• Arrange apple quarters in concentric circles on dough.
• Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

Prepare glaze:
Dissolve gelatin powder in hot water and add apricot jam. Stir until well mixed. Brush still hot cake with glaze. If desired, serve with powdered sugar on top.