Invisible apple cake

The invisible apple cake is a light and fragrant cake, so called because it is made up of apples cut so thin that you can hardly see them. With a little sugar, a little flour, very little butter and no baking powder, the dough for this apple cake is basically a batter in which apples are dipped and which allows the cake to stay compact.

Due to its moist and soft texture, the invisible apple cake will delight the taste buds of all the apple sweet tooth. In addition, it has very few calories compared to a normal apple cake. This means that if you’re following a diet plan, there’s no need to miss out on a slice of dessert with this invisible apple cake!

The invisible apple cake recipe is very easy and quick to make: thinly slicing the apples is undoubtedly the best trick to a successful cake. You can use a vegetable slicer, if you have one. Otherwise, you can get the same result using a knife and a little patience. As regards the aromas: I used the unfailing cinnamon and a bit of grated lemon zest, but also the orange zest, vanilla or a tablespoon of amaretto liquor are fine.

Check out these recipes too:

invisible apple cake glutenfree low sugar easy recipe with a lot of apples by tastycorner

Video recipe of the day

  • DifficultyVery easy
  • CostVery cheap
  • Preparation time20 Minutes
  • Rest time10 Minutes
  • Cooking time50 Minutes
  • Serving6 servings
  • Cooking methodOven
  • CuisineInternational
  • SeasonalityAutumn, Winter

Ingredients for an invisible apple cake of 8 inches in diameter

If you are gluten intolerant you can prepare the invisible apple cake using the same amount of fine rice flour instead of the all purpose flour. Always remember to watch out for the label with the word “gluten free” on rice flour.

For the cake

3 golden apple (21 oz – 600 gr)
2 eggs (medium size)
2/3 cup all purpose (AP) flour (2,5 oz – 70 gr; I used rice flour for a gluten free cake)
1/4 cup brown sugar (1,8 oz – 50 gr)
4 teaspoons unsalted butter (0,7 oz – 20 gr)
7 tablespoons milk (100 ml)
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon lemon zest (grated)

For the garnish

2 teaspoons unsalted butter (0,35 oz – 10 gr.)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
198,46 Kcal
calories per serving
Info Close
  • Power 198,46 (Kcal)
  • Carbohydrates 30,32 (g) of which sugars 21,57 (g)
  • Proteins 4,88 (g)
  • Fat 6,76 (g) of which saturated 3,92 (g)of which unsaturated 2,75 (g)
  • Fibers 2,54 (g)
  • Sodium 31,01 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 92 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Tools

1 Chopping Board
1 Slicer
or1 Knife
1 Bowl
Whips
1 Spatula
1 Baking Tray of 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter
Baking paper

How to prepare the invisible apple cake

Qui trovi la versione italiana della ricetta Qui puoi leggere la ricetta in italiano!

Start preparing the invisible apple cake by the dough: melt 4 teaspoons (20 grams) of unsalted butter over low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave, and let it cool down. Shell the eggs in a large bowl and add the cinnamon, the grated lemon zest and the sugar.

You can use a stand mixer with wire hook if you have one, but regular electric whisks are also fine. Whip the eggs for 6-7 minutes, untile they get swollen and frothy.

whip the eggs until fluffy for the invisible apple cake

Then add the flour previously sifted. Pour the melted butter and the cold milk, while continuing to beat with the electric whisks.

pour the milk in the invisible apple cake dough

Knead the mixture until all the ingredients are well combined; the result will be a smooth and fairly liquid batter.

Then switch to the apples: wash and pat dry them and peel only two and a half, leaving aside half an apple with the peel. 

Cut the ones you peeled into 4 wedges, remove the core and slice them as thin as possible.

cut the apples in very thin slices for the apple cake

Cut the half an apple with the peel into 2 wedges, remove the core and slice it very thin. A vegetable slicer can be very useful for quickly slicing the apples very thin, as stated above.

However, if you don’t have a vegetable slicer, you will still be able to slice them very thin with a knife. Keep it aside: it will be useful to garnish the apple cake surface. 

cut the unpeeled apple in very thin slices

So, just to recap: peel and slice 2 and half an apple to form the inside of the cake.  The remaining half an apple should be sliced with its peel: it will be the garnish of the cake.

Now pour the peeled and sliced apples in the bowl with the mixture. Stir gently, making sure to cover all the apples with the mixture.

add the apple slices to the dough of the invisible apple cake

Line a baking pan of 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter with the baking paper. Pour the mixture of the invisible apple cake into the pan, making sure to spread it well over the entire surface of the mold.

pour the dough in a baking tray

Garnish the surface of the cake with the apples left aside (the ones with the peel). Melt 2 teaspoons of unsalted butter in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Then brush the cake surface with the melted butter. After that, sprinkle it with a little bit of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon powder.

garnish the invisible apple cake with the slices of apples

Bake the invisible apple cake in preheated static oven at 392° F (200° C) for 50 minutes / 1 hour until golden brown. Take it off from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before remove it from the pan.

en_v_ invisible apple cake glutenfree low sugar easy recipe with a lot of apples by tastycorner

Serve the invisible apple cake still warm. The cake can be enjoyed on its own or accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Conservation

The invisible apple cake is very moist and can be stored at most for 2 days at room temperature or 3-4 days in the fridge.

Tips and variations

The invisible apple cake is best enjoyed slightly warm, rather than cold; if is prepared in advance, I recommend you to warm it up in the oven for about 10 minutes, or in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
For a special flavour, you can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of raisin (previously soaked in rum and water and then drained well) to the apples.

Translation by Giacomo Meucci

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