I love this cake. Love it so much that I’ve made a version of it almost every week for the past month. Plus after having not written here for months and months I wanted to be sure to post something perfectly amazing.

Earlier this week, I got home at 4:30pm and had a total of 40 minutes to whip something up to bring to dinner with my oldest friend at her grandmother’s house. Gaga, as she is called, used to serve us tea sandwiches and strawberry milk; she had a drawer full of cookies we could raid at any time of day; and she dressed elegantly with dainty shoes.

I did not want to arrive empty-handed and it seemed only fitting to bring a delicate cake to go along with whatever delightful treats she pulled out for us (plus I had a total of 40 minutes). The cake was a lovely addition. The kids and grown-ups enjoyed it equally. And Gaga still dresses elegantly and has a drawer full of cookies.

This recipe is adapted from Alice Medrich’s Almond Butter Cake from Flavor Flours. Of course, this recipe is wonderful as is and I’ve created just a few variations to fit various occasions. Here’s the quick and easy apple cake version.

Apple Almond Cake
1 cup white rice flour (160 grams)
1/2 + 2 Tablespoons cup almond flour (70 grams)
scant 1 cup (180 grams) sugar
1 stick (115 grams) earth balance butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup plain yogurt*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1-2 apples, peeled and cored

Butter a 9-inch round or square cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350. Beat together the flours, sugar, and butter on medium speed. Add the baking powder and soda, yogurt, eggs, and extracts and beat until smooth, at least 1-2 minutes. While the mixer is going, slice the apples into quarters and then evenly and thinly slice each quarter, keeping the quarters together.

Pour the dough into the prepared pan and even out with a spatula. Gently fan out each quarter of sliced apples (in any design) and press lightly into the batter**. The last few versions I have made of this, I used only one apple and spread them out a bit more. Bake for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick will come out with crumbs.

*I use green valley organics lactose free yogurt.
**If you use more apples (like in the photo above), it’ll need more time in the oven. After 25-30 minutes (and the cake is golden), cover with tinfoil and bake an additional 8-10 minutes.