Apple and walnut cake: easy and beautiful

Apple pie is always a good choice. And this recipe is charming because it is prepared simply and quickly, and it looks like it came from a French bakery! The beauty and deliciousness of this cake is the walnut decoration. The apple filling is surrounded by a wreath of petals, and each one has half a walnut pressed into it, and it’s not only beautiful, but also amazingly delicious!

First I make the apple filling. I peeled 4-5 apples with a special apple peeler cutter (link to give you an idea of ​​what I’m talking about) is an amazing tool when there are a lot of apples! We bought ours at “Scily”, Konarskio st., Vilnius, they never had a website, but they have good pans and other professional kitchen tools.

I heated the apples in a pan with 50 g of butter and about 100 g of sugar. Cinnamon would also be great, but there is someone in our house who ate too much of it as a child and now chooses to avoid it. Just homemade applesauce would also be great if you have it, but it’s apple season and we have plenty, so I cook fresh – and I love butter!

While the apples are caramelizing, I will prepare the dough. This time it’s a slightly softer and more plastic crumb dough with a bit of yogurt. I add only salt, because the sweetness from the apple filling will be enough. I leave the prepared dough in the refrigerator for half an hour to set. During this time, the filling is also cooled.

Ingredients (in order of use):

For the apple filling:

• Apples: 4-5 pcs.
• Butter: 50 gr
• Sugar: 100 gr
• Cinnamon: to taste (optional)

Dough:

• Butter: 150 g (cold)
• Eggs: 1 pc.
• Salt: pinch
• Flour: 200 gr
• Natural yogurt: 2 tbsp

For decoration:

• Walnuts: 16 sides

Step-by-step cooking process:

1. Preparation of the filling: Peel the apples, cut them (or slice them with a slicer) and place them in a frying pan or pan with 50g butter and 100g sugar (and cinnamon, if using). Cook over low heat until the apples are soft and caramelized. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
2. Preparation of the dough: Put 150 g of cold butter in a food processor, beat in 1 egg and add a pinch of salt. Mix with a few pulses. Add 200 g of flour, mix again quickly and add 2 tablespoons of yogurt. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge for half an hour.

How to form and bake the cake:

• Circle: Roll the chilled dough into a smooth, large circle. Be sure to do this directly on the baking paper or baking sheet, in which you will bake, otherwise the formed cake will be very difficult to move from the table!
• Composition of the filling: Lightly mark the divisions with a stick or knife. Place the cooled apple mass in the center, leaving about 4-5 cm of free dough around the edge.
• Notches on the edges: With a sharp knife or a rolling pin, cut the outer edge of the dough in radii inwards (towards the filling) every 3-4cm. You should get many equal strips/tongues of dough around the entire cake.
• Formation (“Petals”): Take the two corners or edges of one strip and pinch them inwards/upwards to form a pointed ‘petal’. In this way, one by one, press all the sectors of the dough around.
• Nut decoration: Press a walnut half into the hollow of each pressed petal (16 halves in total). Not only does it add beauty, but it also tastes great!
• Freezing and baking: Before baking, keep the formed cake in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Shout out to up 170 °C a preheated oven, slightly below the middle shelf – this way the base is baked evenly, and the top and especially the nuts will not burn.
• End: When the apple is bubbling and the top is nicely browned (about 35-40 minutes), pull and cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Delicious! 😋