Who says you must have pie on Thanksgiving? From “Living and Eating,” by John Pawson and Annie Bell. Tested at high altitude. Serves 6.
Ingredients
For cake:
2 Granny Smith apples
2 squeezes of lemon juice
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced
3 medium eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons Calvados (optional)
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
For Calvados cream
1 1/4 cups crème fraîche or sour cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon Calvados
Directions
Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut two of the quarters into wafer-thin slices, toss with a squeeze of lemon juice in a bowl and set aside. Slice the remaining apple quarters more thickly. Toss with a squeeze of lemon in another bowl, then sprinkle with a tablespoon of the light brown sugar and toss to coat. Set aside for 10 minutes while you prepare the cake mixture.
Preheat the oven to 300 and butter an 8-inch springform cake pan with a removable base.
Cream the butter and remaining light brown sugar together until light and fluffy; you can do this in a food processor or electric mixer. Beat in the egg yolks, and then incorporate the ground almonds and baking powder, working the mixture as little as possible to keep it light. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold half into the cake mixture and then fold in the remainder. Add the Calvados and any juice given out by the thickly sliced apples. Drain these thoroughly on paper towels and gently fold them into the mixture. Transfer it to the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface.
Drain the reserved finely sliced apple and arrange on top of the cake, sticking some of the slices in at an angle. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Run a knife around the edge of the cake and leave it to cool for several hours before removing from the pan. Being such a moist cake, it keeps well in a covered container and can be reheated if you want to serve it warm.
For the Calvados cream, blend all the ingredients together in a bowl, cover and chill until needed.
Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar and serve in slices accompanied by the Calvados cream.
