Warm Apple Pecan Spice Cake
This Warm Apple Pecan Spice Cake has all the fashion and flavors you are looking for on this holiday season. Hearty apples, toasted pecans, cinnamon, a hint of clove and some dulce de leche to make everything more festive and decadent and it looks like a crown!
The texture is between a cake and a bread, the apple pecan spice filling has a rich and magical power of awakening delicious childhood memories. One bite! It’s definitely a happy flamboyant cake! It might steal the show and reign supreme on your holiday dessert table. Make some space :))
The best part? You should eat it warm! Jump right into it. You don’t need to wait.
Don’t hold back on the final dulce de leche drizzling… go ahead. Have fun! Make it as decadent as you desire :))
Bon Appétit!
Warm Apple Pecan Spice Cake
Recipe credits: Rafaella Sargi
serves 10
Apple Filling Ingredients
4 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced into 1 inch cubes
2 oz (55 gr) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon water
Cake Ingredients
1 lb (450 gr) self-rising flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ oz (40 gr) butter, diced and kept cold
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
½ cup pecan, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 cup dulce de leche*
Topping Ingredients
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ pecans, lightly toasted
Directions
Scale and prep all the ingredients.
You will need a small sauce pan, a baking sheet, parchment paper and a food processor.
Heat the oven to 425 F (220 C).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small sauce pan, put all the apple filling ingredients. Let it cook over medium heat for a few minutes. When it starts bubbling, turn the heat down to medium-low co ver and let it cook for 10 minutes.
In the bowl of a food processor, put the flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and cold butter. Pulse a few times until the the texture becomes crumbly. Add the buttermilk and pulse a few additional times. Transfer the dough mixture to a floured working surface and knead it until smooth and no longer sticky.
Put the dough on a floured parchment paper and form a rectangle approx. 20 x 40 cm ( 8 x 16 inch). Spread the apple mixture uniformly over the dough, leaving the closest side to you free (approx. 2 inches). Sprinkle the apple mixture with ½ cup chopped pecan and ¼ cup dulce de leche. With the help of the parchment paper, fold the dough starting from the farthest part, rolling it towards you to form a cylinder. Join the extremities to form a crown. Using a sharp knife, cut 8 times the exterior part of the circle, trying to form a flower or sun shape. Brush the cake with one tablespoon buttermilk. Sprinkle with the topping.
Let it cook for 15 minutes. Cover the cake with aluminum foil, and put it back in the oven to cook for 10 more minutes.
Serve warm with a loving drizzle (or two!) of dulce de leche.
Topping Directions
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
*Dulce de Leche: Just before using the dulce de leche, heat it in the microwave for a few seconds. It will loosen up… so you can spread or drizzle it more easily.
Adapted from Super Gâteaux.
