Norwegian Apple Cake

Recipe from Nevada Berg

Adapted by Florence Fabricant

Norwegian Apple Cake
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes, plus cooling
Rating
4(1,375)
Comments
Read comments

Though quite straightforward, this recipe for Norwegian apple cake from Nevada Berg's cookbook “North Wild Kitchen” did raise a question. A whole tablespoon of cinnamon? Really? But it was not at all excessive, giving the cake autumnal fragrance and flavor along with a nicely burnished surface. What this recipe also offers is great flexibility. Though it calls for an 8-inch springform, it also worked in a 9-inch and a 10-inch, the latter providing a little less cake in proportion to topping (though no change in cooking time). Larger pans require more fruit. And on that score, in place of apples the recipe works well with fresh figs and peaches. Small purple plums, pears, apricots and even bananas are some other options to consider. —Florence Fabricant

Featured in: The 19 Best Cookbooks of Fall 2018

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:10 servings
  • 4tart apples, like Granny Smith
  • 1cup/227 grams (2 sticks) salted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 2cups/255 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1½teaspoons baking powder
  • 1¼cups/250 grams granulated sugar
  • 3large eggs, at room temperature
  • ½cup/4 ounces whole milk
  • ⅓cup/32 grams sliced almonds
  • 2tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1tablespoon cinnamon
  • Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

455 calories; 23 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 58 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 34 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 229 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Peel and core apples; slice ½-inch thick. Set aside. Use some of the butter to grease an 8-inch springform cake pan. Dust with a little flour. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Sift or whisk flour with baking powder. Set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat granulated sugar with ¾ cup (1½ sticks) of the butter for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat mixture about 3 minutes until creamy. Gradually add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with milk, mixing well after each addition. Transfer batter to pan.

  3. Step 3

    Arrange the apple slices on top of batter in tight overlapping concentric circles, gently pressing them in a bit. Scatter almonds on top. Dust with brown sugar and cinnamon. Dot with remaining butter. Place in the oven and bake about 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean, the top has browned and feels fairly firm to the touch.

  4. Step 4

    Allow to cool in the pan until just warm. Remove sides of pan and serve with whipped cream or ice cream. If cake has cooled completely it can be warmed before serving.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,375 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

MRR

This was a wonderful apple cake, and I am very picky about apple cakes . This one is moist and has a beautiful crumb., and plenty of apples. I added 1/2 tsp salt, as it seemed to me it should have some. It looks beautiful, Keeps well and also makes a lovely breakfast . I used a 9 inch springform pan and wouldn’t use anything smaller as there is lots of batter and the cake baked right up to the top. It would have overflowed in an 8 inch.

Olivia

This sounds delicious and I intend to make it. But apples are all different sizes. It would be helpful if you could tell us about how many cups of sliced apples we'd need?

Elan

I may have to try this again. For sure, the apples need to be sliced thinner than 1/2 inch; more like 1/4 inch so they can actually cook through and can be sliced. It would have helped a LOT for the list of ingredients to say 1 cup butter DIVIDED. Despite reading and rereading the recipe, I put all the butter in the batter and then ended up adding another 1/2 stick on top. It worked out OK but it didn't help. I was very tempted to add vanilla to the batter and will try that next time.

Caroline

made this yesterday after reading all comments. changes i made, and i know but they are minimal and don't make it something totally different lol. I added table salt to the flour mixture along with about a tsp of fresh grated nutmeg and a half tsp of cardamom. I put half of batter in pan, layered half the apple slices and dolloped about 4 tsp of my homemade apple butter and a tbps of cinnamon sugar mixture on top. tipped. with thr rest of the cake batter. Used walnuts, didn't have almonds, and added an additional 15 min to total bake time. excellent recipe , very coffeecake like, perfect for a fall Sunday breakfast.

Sharon Bakes

“In the bowl of a stand mixer…”. You do NOT need to use a stand mixer! A hand mixer is a perfect tool for mixing this batter. If you’re up to it and don’t mind a denser cake, you could even mix it by hand.

Sadie K

Did anyone else have a cooking time issue? I had to add another 40 minutes. Maybe because I added applesauce to the cake?

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from “North Wild Kitchen” by Nevada Berg (Prestel, 2018)

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.