German: Apfelkuchen (Apple Cake)
Recipe by Kayla Lammy <klamm3@illinois.edu>
(serves approx 9)

Cake ingredients:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup cold butter, diced into cubes
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1-2 apples (gala, honey crisp, pink lady, or whatever you have on hand)
For the custard:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp flour
- ⅓-½ cup sugar (sweetness preference)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 10 grates (approx) whole nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking dish
- Prep cake toppings: wash apples and peaches well (no need to peel unless that’s your preference); slice thinly and cut slices into bite-sized pieces
- Whisk all dry cake ingredients together in a large bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices)
- Using clean hands, work cubed butter into the flour until mixture becomes crumbly
- Whisk egg, milk, and vanilla together in a separate bowl, then add to dry ingredients; stir just until most of the dry ingredients have been incorporated (don’t overmix, the batter will be thick)
- Spread batter into prepared pan: lay choice of prepared apples on top in an even layer, gently pressing them into the top of the batter
- Bake for about 20 minutes
- While cake is baking, prepare custard: add flour to ¼ cup of the heavy cream and whisk until smooth; add the egg and whisk again until smooth; add the rest of the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; whisk again until well incorporated
- After the cake has baked for the first 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 350F and pull the cake out of the oven
- Slowly pour the custard over the top of the cake
- Place cake back in the oven at 350F and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown (the top should be springy, be careful not to overbake)
- Let cool and serve (or serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream)
Note: You may also use this recipe to make Pfirsichkuchen (Peach Cake) by replacing the apples with 2-4 peaches cut into bite-sized pieces