Ingredients
Twelve servings
2/3 cup (90g) flour
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
(Or you can use 2/3 cup (160ml) of half-and-half, or 2/3 cup of whole milk)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons melted butter, salted or unsalted, cooled to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pounds (900g) apples, about 4 large apples, or 5 medium apples
3 tablespoons coarse granulated (such as turbinado) or light brown sugar (optional)
Directions
Lightly butter a 8 1/2 to 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan, or a longer, narrower European-style 12” (30cm) loaf pan*. Cut a piece of parchment paper so it fits across the bottom and up over the two long sides, creating two overhangs that you’ll use to lift the cake out of the pan later. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
In a medium-to-large bowl, make a custard by whisking together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, heavy cream, and milk until there are no lumps. Whisk in the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.
Peel the apples and remove the cores and seeds. Slice the apples as thin as possible with a chef’s knife. Don’t worry if some look scrappy or break; once baked in the cake, you won’t see any difference between them and the perfect slices.
Fold the apples in the custard with a spatula as carefully as possible, trying not to break apart the apple slices. (Despite what I said in the previous step, I do try to keep the apple slices here from breaking if I can, just because…)
Use your clean hands to put one-third of the apples soaked in custard into the prepared pan. Level the top so all the apple slices are lying flat, then add half of the remaining apples, leveling the top, then add the remaining apples, making sure all the apples on top are level.
Sprinkle the top with brown sugar and bake the cake until the cake feels set when you press it in the center, about 40 to 45 minutes. Best to go by feel than by exact baking time since apples, and loaf pans, bake differently.
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool 30 minutes. Slide a butter knife around the two shorter edges of the cake, where there’s no parchment paper, to loosen it from the pan. Carefully lift the cake out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper as handles and place it on a wire cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely to room temperature before serving.
Slice the cake using a serrated bread knife.
Storage: The cake can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.
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