Grand Marnier Apple Raisins Cake

The apple harvest upon us and we are searching for interesting recipes with apples. On a rainy day when leaves start changing colors having a cup of hot herbal tea with apple dessert is like having a perfect piece of happiness.

This cake is a must, any good housewife should have this recipe in her collection. Grand Marnier Apple Cake with Raisins is amazing. It has rough, earthy but lemony pastry bottom made from spelt flour and moist sweet apple filling with dried berries and pistachios covered by soft top melting in your mouth.

More dessert recipes with apples:
Apple, Lemon Cake with Hazelnuts
Sharlotka - Russian Apple Cake
Apple Torte with Cranberries and Raisins
Apple and Honey Madeleines
Butternut Squash, Apple and Walnut Muffins



Grand Marnier Apple Cake with Raisins

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

For the pastry bottom:

• 1 1/3 cup spelt flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Spelt Flour)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
• 10 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut in cubes
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1  large egg
• 1 Tbsp. milk or cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the apple filling:

• 1/3 cup raisins (I used golden raisins)
• 2 Tbsp. dried currants, or dried cranberries
• 1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
• lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
• 4 apples, peeled, cored and finely sliced
• 2-3 Tbsp. pistachios, roughly chopped

For the cake topping:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9-inch springform cake pan with butter, and sprinkle it with a little flour to lightly coat the bottom and edges.

To prepare the pastry dough: In the of  bowl of processor, pulse the flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and sugar. Pulse the butter pieces and the egg. Process a few seconds until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drop by drop add the milk, processing very briefly. The whole process would take 20 to 30 seconds. Wrap and chill the pastry for about 15 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and take it out of the plastic wrap. Using your hands transfer the dough to the pan and press on it lightly, so that it makes contact with the bottom and sides.

Poke the bottom and sides of the dough with fork (this helps the dough to breath while baking). Place the pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

To make the apple filling: Place the raisins and dried currants in a small bowl and pour the Grand Marnier over them. Set the bowl aside. In a medium bowl mix the apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Sprinkle the bottom of the pastry dough with the pistachio nuts. Place the sliced apples in the pastry bottom. Fill in any large gaps with leftover pieces of sliced apples. Sprinkle the dried berries over the top of the apples together with Grand Marnier. Place the pan in the fridge again while you make the cake topping.

To make the cake topping: Stir together the sugar and melted butter. Whisk in the egg yolks and Grand Marnier. Sift in the flour and baking powder in small portions and stop to stir while you sift. Scrape the sites and stir in all the ingredients to make sure they are well incorporated. Slowly whisk in the milk and make sure lumps do not form.

Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Pour the batter over the apple filling. Make sure the batter reaches the edges of the pan.

Bake the cake in preheated oven for about one hour. Let it cool before take it from springform. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.

Let me know if you stop after a first slice-)))

Inspired by "Cooking with Italian Grandmothers"