The Milanese cake is a typical Lombard dessert rich in apples, completely different from the classic apple pie in both taste and texture, it is aromatic and very soft.
The recipe is simple, it is a pantry cake of peasant origin made with common ingredients, those that each of us has in the pantry, but in addition to eggs, sugar, flour, and milk, the Milanese cake is characterized by the presence of hazelnut flour which gives it a rustic taste.
The apples are the protagonists of this recipe but the hazelnuts are also well present and make the cake truly special. Every family has its own version that it jealously guards, the ingredients are always the same but with small variations, I propose the classic Milanese recipe.
If you don’t like hazelnuts you can replace them with unpeeled almonds, they will give the same rustic touch with a more delicate flavor.
If I’ve intrigued you, you just have to try it, here are some other ideas for breakfast:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8People
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 248.14 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 33.06 (g) of which sugars 20.21 (g)
- Proteins 5.10 (g)
- Fat 11.47 (g) of which saturated 1.76 (g)of which unsaturated 4.17 (g)
- Fibers 1.55 (g)
- Sodium 18.22 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cups hazelnut flour (or unpeeled almond flour)
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs (medium)
- 1/4 cup peanut oil (or another oil of choice)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (grated)
- 3 Golden apples (large, about 21 oz net of waste)
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Tools
- 1 Bowl large
- 1 Electric whisk
- 1 Scale
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Cake pan springform, 9 1/2 inches in diameter
Procedure
Wash the apples, peel them, and cut each apple into 4 wedges, then slice each wedge thinly from the shorter side, set aside (I put them in the fridge to prevent them from browning).
Butter and flour the 9 1/2 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs (at room temperature) with the sugar until you get a light and frothy mixture.
Add the milk, vanilla, and grated lemon zest.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and add them to the eggs, also add the hazelnut flour, gently incorporate all the ingredients by folding from bottom to top with a spatula to avoid deflating the mixture.
Add the peanut oil and continue to mix until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
Add the apples and mix well, they must be well distributed in the batter.
Transfer the batter into the cake pan and gently level it with the back of a spoon.
Bake the cake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 45 minutes.
Do the toothpick test to check the cooking, if necessary extend it for a few more minutes.
If the top of the cake tends to darken too much, cover it with aluminum foil.The Milanese apple cake is ready, let it cool before unmolding and serving.
Advice
Storage
The Milanese apple cake keeps in the fridge for 3/4 days; personally, I prefer to store fruit cakes in the fridge and leave them at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
If you want, you can also store it at room temperature but not for more than 2 days because the fruit will tend to sour.
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