Äppelkaka med Vaniljsås

Äppelkaka is Sweden's most beloved home-baked dessert, found on every kitchen table from Stockholm to Lapland throughout the apple harvest from August to October. Unlike dense Anglo-American apple cakes, the Swedish version is light, almost custard-like in texture, with thinly sliced apples fanning across the surface and sinking into a buttery, cardamom-scented sponge. It is served warm with poured vanilla custard (vaniljsås) and is a staple of Swedish potlucks and coffee tables (kafferep).

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Cake

• 4 medium eating apples (Cox, Gravenstein, or Aroma variety), peeled, cored, thinly sliced
• 150g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for tin
• 150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 150g (1.2 cups) plain flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp (30ml) whole milk

Topping

• 2 tbsp (25g) caster sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Vaniljsås (Vanilla Custard)

• 300ml (1.25 cups) whole milk
• 150ml (2/3 cup) single cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 60g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla pod)
• 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter a 24cm (9.5-inch) springform tin and line the base with parchment.

2. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Sift in flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt; fold gently. Stir in milk to loosen the batter.

3. Pour batter into prepared tin and smooth the top. Arrange apple slices in concentric overlapping circles, pressing them slightly into the batter. Mix sugar and cinnamon; scatter evenly over the apples.

4. Bake 40-45 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make vaniljsås: whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornflour until pale. Heat milk and cream to just below simmering; pour slowly onto egg mixture, whisking. Return to pan over low heat and stir constantly 4-5 minutes until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Stir in vanilla. Do not boil.

6. Serve cake warm, cut into wedges, with warm vaniljsås poured alongside.

Cook's Notes: Swedish baking apples are slightly tart — if using sweeter varieties, reduce the sugar in the topping. The cake keeps well for 2 days and can be rewarmed in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 10 minutes.