Dried Apple Cake
Submitted by marmaduke
Heritage sourdough dried apple cake rolled with spiced fruit and baked in a bubbling brown sugar-cinnamon syrup. This pioneer-style recipe turns pantry staples into a sticky, fragrant dessert that feeds a crowd.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minThis is old-time baking at its finest. A sourdough biscuit dough gets rolled out, scattered with rehydrated dried apples, then spiraled into pinwheels and lowered into a bubbling skillet of brown sugar, cinnamon, and apple cooking liquid.
What comes out of the oven is sticky, spiced, and deeply satisfying. The sourdough starter gives the dough a subtle tang that plays off the sweet apple syrup in the best possible way.
It’s the kind of recipe your great-grandmother made when fresh fruit was out of season and nothing went to waste.
Pro Tips
- Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly for the lightest dough. Discard starter will work but the texture will be denser.
- Don’t skip saving the apple cooking liquid. That concentrated fruit water is what makes the syrup taste like actual apples instead of just sugar.
- Cut your rolls with a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss for clean slices that hold their shape.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a pour of heavy cream. The hot syrup and cold cream together is the whole point.
Ingredients
Directions
To prepare Dry Baking Mix: Stir or mix dry ingredients.
Cut in lard until mixture resembles fine meal.
To prepare cake: Cook dried apples in 4 cups water until tender.
Drain and save juice.
Measure 2 cups juice, adding water if needed.
Mix ¼ cup sugar with dry baking mix; stir in sourdough starter to moisten flour.
Turn out onto a floured surface, knead lightly; pat or roll to a 12 x 18 inch rectangle.
Sprinkle with apples.
Roll, starting at short end; cut into 12 slices.
Put remaining sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and the 2 cups of apple liquid into a large deep skillet.
Bring to a boil.
Gently lower apple slices into hot syrup.
Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
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