To be “European as apple cake” is hardly something that people would respond to, but if you would say “American as apple pie”, the whole world would have at least a notion of what you meant.
The American apple pie is saturated with tradition, so much so that it has always become mythical, as pioneers that had settled in the New World made this tasty dessert when the time of the year for harvesting the apple trees was upon them. But since these pioneers stemmed from Europe, the saying really should be quite easily translated into European as apple cake.
However, sayings and expressions have a life of their own, and what becomes a symbol of something larger in one place, may very well continue to just be an ordinary, but delicious, apple cake.
Now, the main ingredient and key component in making a successful cake, whether it is an American apple pie or just a good old apple cake, is of course apples. But it is not as simple as just going to the grocery store and randomly picking out some apples. No, this is not a case of anything goes, you have to be thorough in your apple research and pick out a sort that will not only add the natural sweetness to your apple cake, but that will also provide the right texture.
Some varieties of apples are simply not suitable for making an apple cake with, as they can be too sour or too soft in their texture. But once you have found your prime choice of apples, the good news is that making an apple cake is quite easy, and is therefore a good way for the newcomer to get started.
The reason that we keep pressing on the importance of choosing the right apples for your cake is that the traditional recipe of an apple cake does not contain all that much sugar. Since sugar has a tendency to drain the natural sweetness and taste out of the apples, it therefore makes it all the more important to find just the right kind in order to make the natural taste of sweet apples to really pop in your mouth.
The good thing about the texture of apples, is that they usually go very well together with the standard recipe for the crust, so even if your apple cake is not baked to perfection, the end result is likely to have a very professional appeal. For a lot of other fruitcakes, it is easy to get a soggy bottom or a cake that is not quite glued together.
The apple cake is more forgiving in that department, so as a standard choice for a first-time baker, we highly recommend this cake.
By tradition, the apple cake is normally served with a delicious vanilla sauce, but for the experimental souls out there, it has been known to work quite well together with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream as well.
Ivet Jakobson is working of one of the biggest companies about Apple cakes and all kind of desserts (Äppelkaka) in Sweden – Dansukker.
As American As Apple Pie, Or As European As Apple Cake
