Posted on Friday, 19th November 2010 by Grace Massa Langlois
Welcome fall into your home with these Warm Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes with Calvados and prepare yourself for the tantalizing and comforting aroma that radiates from your oven and permeates throughout your home.
When my son, Matt, returned home from school yesterday he was welcomed with the flavourful aroma of apples, butter, cinnamon and brandy and the first thing he said when he walked in the door wasn’t “Hi Mom, how was your day?” it was “Wow, what smells so amazing!” It reminded me of all the times as a child that I would run up the driveway in anticipation. I couldn’t wait to find out what my Mom was making because you could smell the enticing aroma all the way down the street.
I’ve made many Apple Crumb Cakes but this time I made a few changes in the recipe because I wanted to elevate the flavours. I added the Golden Yellow Sugar (a lighter brown sugar) because it adds a delicate buttery taste, which makes for a wonderful flavour combination with the apple.
When I was scouring the city for Butterscotch liqueur last month for use in the Butterscotch-Glazed Chocolate Bundt Cake I was thrilled to have finally (I have searched high and low for the last 2 years) found a coveted bottle of Calvados.
Calvados is an outstanding apple brandy from the French region of Normandy. The brand of Calvados that I purchased is golden copper in colour with a fruity flavour and a hint of caramel and vanilla. It is purely optional in the recipe but I found that it intensified the apple flavour, plus, caramel and vanilla with apples, could it get any better than that?
If you do invest in a bottle of Calvados not only is it a smooth sipping brandy, before and after dinner, but it can also be used to enhance the flavour of many different desserts, cakes, sauces, poaching liquids for apples or pears and it would be outstanding when added to sautéed or baked apples and also pears.
Anita from Dessert First featured Tipsy Apples with a Calvados Caramel Sauce doesn’t that sound amazing! And another great recipe I can’t wait to try is Bittersweet Ganache with Calvados and Pear Tart that I spotted on Ashley’s site Not Without Salt.
The next time I make my Poached Forelle Pears I plan on adding some Calvados to the poaching liquid to add another flavour dimension and I would also like to try it in my Pear, Rhubarb and Raspberry Crumble.
Calvados can also be used in many savoury dishes with pork, chicken or veal. With American Thanksgiving upon us, Calvados would be a fantastic flavour boost to apple stuffing or various gravies.
With or without Calvados these Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes served warm with tea or served with ice cream are sure to please. I wish I would have found Anita’s post before I made these (alas they are all gone) because the Calvados Caramel Sauce drizzled all over these little cakes would be to die for (definitely a must next time!).
I am very honoured to be included in LexioPhiles International Recipe Advent Calendar 2010. This recipe for Warm Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes with Calvados will appear on December the 5th, 2010. LexioPhiles will feature a new recipe every day in the month of December from fellow bloggers around the world. I am looking forward to visiting each day to see my fellow blogger’s contributions. I hope you will too!
Warm Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes with Calvados {Tortino Caldo di Mele, Cannella e Calvados}
Makes 8 standard muffin-size cakes or 4 mini cakes
- Apple Cinnamon Cakes with Calvados {Tortino di Mele, Cannella e Calvados}
- Apple Cinnamon Crumb Topping {Crumble di Mele e Cannella}
Apple Cinnamon Crumb Topping {Crumble di Mele e Cannella}
- 12 g (1½ tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 13 g (1 tablespoon) brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
- Half of 1 green apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- In a small bowl, combine together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter.
- Toss apple slices in the crumb topping, set-aside.
Apple Cinnamon Cakes {Tortino di Mele, Cannella e Calvados}
- Unsalted butter, extra, softened, for greasing
- 60 g (¼ cup) butter, softened
- 75 g (1/3 cup) caster (super fine granules) sugar
- 67 g (1/3 cup) golden yellow sugar (light brown sugar) (can be replaced with regular brown sugar or caster sugar can be increased to 2/3 cup)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 120 ml (½ cup) sour cream
- 125 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ tablespoons Calvados (French apple brandy) (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 160° C (320° F). Lightly grease 8 standard muffin cups or 4 large muffin cups (8-ounce) with softened butter, set aside.
- In bowl of food processor process butter, sugar, golden yellow sugar, cinnamon, salt, egg, sour cream, flour, baking powder and Calvados in a food processor and process until just smooth (do not over process).
- Divide mixture evenly between muffin cups, filling a little less than three-quarters full (they rise quite a bit).
- Arrange apple slices on cakes. Sprinkle with remaining crumb topping.
- Bake until cake tester inserted in centre of cakes comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Transfer to a wire rack and cool in tins for 5 minutes. Carefully remove cakes; return cakes to wire rack and allow cakes to cool until warm.
- Serve warm with espresso, coffee or tea.
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Tags: after school treat, afternoon tea, apples, breakfast, brunch, cake, cakes, crumbles, cupcakes, dessert, desserts, food, food photography, food photos, fruit, Italian Cakes, Italian desserts, mini cakes, muffins, quick desserts, small cakes
Posted in Baking & Pastry, Baking Mise en Place, Pastry Doughs & Batter, Recipes
Comments (13)
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November 19th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Oh hell yeah! And with the apple brandy snifter on the side too (for adults only) I could down a dozen of these bad boys! lol (My old chef voice talking)
Bon appetit!
CCR
=:~)
November 19th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Your photography is outstanding! Beautiful post and your recipe looks delicious too!!
November 19th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Beautiful and delicious.
November 19th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Adorable little cakes! I love the addition of calvados to these – cake with a punch.
November 19th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Carrie Minns, Grace Langlois. Grace Langlois said: New Blog Post-Warm Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes with Calvados http://su.pr/2FO1MH #dessert #sweets #fbz #apples #calvados [...]
November 19th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Lovely!!!!
November 20th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Wow! Those look and sound amazing.
November 21st, 2010 at 2:48 am
wad a lucky lucky son you’ve got! these look incredibly wonderful!
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:43 am
Grace, this recipe looks like your best one so far. Of course, I’ll think that until you post another one tomorrow. Each one looks better than the one before. I don’t know how you do it. Love the pics, the apples, the story, and the recipe (because it looks like one I could make vegan). Thanks so much for another grand slam!
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:11 am
these look delicious. i am going to certainly make these!
November 25th, 2010 at 6:13 am
Those sure look tasty! The texture of the top is amazing.
October 16th, 2011 at 10:46 pm
Trying these tomorrow…. many thanks
November 1st, 2011 at 4:28 pm
[...] Warm Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes With Calavados From La Mia Vita Dolce [...]