Sunday mornings—there’s something special about them. A clean kitchen, soft jazz playing in the background, and the warm glow of a candle flickering on the counter. I’ve never considered myself a baker, but every few Sundays, I’ve started a small ritual: waking up early to bake something sweet (and easy) for my family. There’s something therapeutic about the process. It’s my quiet time; a moment of peace and connection, filled with the anticipation of warm and comforting fresh treats from the oven. I have actually made this a few times and I love it. Eyeswoon’s Apple Cognac-Cake
Eyeswoon Apple-Cognac Cake - Recipe from her Cookbook
INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cognac (Calvados, rum, or bourbon work well, too)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup well-shaken buttermilk, at room temperature
3 medium Honeycrisp apples
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the pan
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Nestle a piece of parchment paper into an 8- or 9-inch cast-iron pan and grease it with butter. In a bowl, whisk together the four, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Whisk in the granulated sugar, cognac, and vanilla extract. Pour in the buttermilk and whisk to combine. Peel, halve, and core 2½ of the apples, then cut them into ½-inch-thick cubes. Reserve the remaining half apple, unpeeled, and cut it into ¼-inch slices, for the top.
Add half of the four mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined, then gently fold in half of the melted butter. Repeat with the remaining four mixture and melted butter.
Gently fold in the cubed apples, reserving the slices. Transfer the batter to the pan and arrange the apples slices in a circular pattern on top of the batter. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake until the cake turns a deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer the skillet to a cooling rack and let it sit for 5 minutes.
The cake may be served warm or at room temperature, directly from the skillet; whichever you choose, make sure to dust it with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
