The grandma’s apple cake is a simple dessert, the one most tied to memories, in my opinion. My grandma didn’t bake a lot of cakes. I don’t recall her ever making an apple cake. And I don’t know why, but when I think of a grandma’s dessert, the first thing that comes to mind is apple cake. This is my apple cake. And it’s dedicated to my grandma, who was always ready to listen, advise, calm, and cuddle. It’s dedicated to my grandma, who taught us and passed down the love for cooking, for simple dishes, and genuine ingredients. Always choose the best, and you won’t go wrong. A dish can be simple, the ingredients few, but if they’re excellent, it will be an extraordinary dish. For this grandma’s apple cake, I chose a very special ingredient: Solina flour, a flavorful and fragrant Abruzzo flour because grandma’s apple cake is my contribution to “Tasty Abruzzo” in April, the column created by Mary from “An American among the Bears” and Francesca from “Spice Powder” that aims to introduce and bring to your tables the traditional products of our wonderful Abruzzo.
Not to be missed
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Solina flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 7 oz ricotta
- 1.5 tbsp rice oil (or another seed oil of choice)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 Golden apples
- 3 tbsp milk
- to taste cinnamon
- to taste brown sugar
Tools
- 1 Mixer Kitchen Aid Artisan
- 1 Springform Pan 9 inches
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Kitchen Knife
- 1 Cake Tester
Steps
In the bowl of the stand mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until they are fluffy and foamy. Then add the oil, milk, and 3.5 oz of ricotta. Mix the ingredients and also add the pinch of salt and the flours with the baking powder and the remaining ricotta. Mix well to obtain a smooth, lump-free batter. Transfer it to a greased and floured springform pan. Peel the apples and cut them into wedges. Arrange them in a circular pattern in the cake pan, pressing them slightly into the batter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar and bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 45 minutes. Always remember to do the toothpick test before taking the cake out of the oven. Let grandma’s apple cake cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
Solina wheat is a soft wheat mainly grown in the area of the Abruzzo Apennines, specifically in the National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga. An ancient proverb says that “Solina is the mother of all grains”: its presence dates back to the 1500s as evidenced by some notarial acts of sale drawn up at the Lanciano Fair. There was a strong bond between this wheat and the Abruzzi people because it ensured the nourishment and survival of peasant families: “If the farmer wants to go to the mill, he must sow Solina.” “Solina fixes all flours,” “every grain returns to Solina,” other proverbs say to indicate the organoleptic characteristic of this wheat. Solina wheat withstands cold and snow, which is why it is suitable for cultivation at altitudes ranging from 600 to 1400 meters in the area of the Aquila side, while where the mountain overlooks Teramo and Pescara and enjoys the influence of the sea, the cultivation does not drop below 750 meters because it is precisely the altitude and the cold that make the product excellent. The sowing of Solina wheat is exclusively autumnal, and the harvest takes place in late July. It is a demanding cultivation, the yield is not high, which is why, like many ancient grains, it was abandoned, but today a cooperative of about ten farmers is carrying out the project of recovering and enhancing this ancient variety of wheat. The flour obtained has a light color, is fragrant, has “flavor,” and is used to make bread but also pasta.
