Apfeltorte (Apple Cake)

Apfeltorte is the kind of German apple cake you encounter at the back of every Bavarian café, the whole peeled apples sit upright in the batter, their hollowed cores stuffed with rum-soaked raisins and grated chocolate. As it bakes, the apples sink slightly into the cake, the chocolate-rum filling melts into the apple flesh, and the whole thing gets a brown-sugar-almond crust and an apricot glaze finish.

The technique that makes this work is the layered build. The cake batter is in the bottom raw, the apples go on top also raw. As it bakes for 45 minutes, the cake rises around the apples, the apples soften, and the rum-raisin-chocolate filling boils gently inside each fruit. The 10 to 15 extra minutes after sprinkling the almond-sugar topping crystallizes everything into a candied crust on the apples.

The apricot jam brushed on after baking is the move that gives this its bakery shine.

Pro Tips

• Use small, firm apples (about 8 of them in a 10.5-inch springform), softer apples collapse during baking and lose their distinct shape
• Core the apples deeply but not all the way through, you need a bottom to hold the rum-raisin-chocolate filling
• Bring the rum-raisin mixture to a boil briefly before stuffing the apples, this plumps the raisins and ensures the chocolate melts evenly
• The cake is properly done when a knife inserted into the cake portion (not the apple) comes out clean, the apples will still be soft
• Brush the apricot jam only on the apples (not on the cake portion), then dust just the cake with powdered sugar for the visual contrast

Variations

• Substitute brandy or applejack for the rum if rum isn’t your thing
• Add a teaspoon of grated lemon zest to the cake batter for a brighter contrast against the rum-soaked apples
• Use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate for a more intense chocolate-apple pairing