Torta di Mele with Caramel Frosting
This is a classic Torta di Mele, an Italian apple cake recipe which was shared by Chef Dennis Littley. Adding caramel frosting to the top was something I could not resist. This is an easy cake to bake, using apples in season, a little flour and basic baking ingredients. Serve this with tea for dessert or a snack. Recipe was inspired by Ask Chef Dennis. Serves 4.
Cook Time35 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Torta di Mele Italian Apple Cake
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 478kcal
Author: Asian in America
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3 whole large apples peeled, sliced; I used Fuji or red delicious
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 whole egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup Dulce de Leche bottled or homemade; for frosting
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Prepare the cake pan by greasing it with butter and placing parchment paper at the bottom. In a large skillet, over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Reserve the 6 tablespoons of butter for later.Add the apple slices to the skillet. Cook until tender, for about 8 to 10 minutes. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs plus the egg yolk, until blended.Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest.Stir in the flour and apples. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake at 375 F degrees, for 30 - 35 minutes, till cake is browned on top. Test for doneness by pricking the top and center of the cake with the edge of a sharp knife. If knife comes clean, cake is ready.Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake with a sharp knife. Invert the cake on a cooling rack for 30 minutes more or up to 1 hour.
When cake has cooled, place on a large, round cake platter. Drizzle the top with Dulce de Leche.
Cook's comments:
Chef Dennis originally recommended dusting the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar. I have done that with a previous blog post and it was marvelous. For this recipe, I opted to drizzle dulce de leche on top. I either make my own (see past blog post) or use store-bought bottled dulce de leche. No matter what the topping is, this Torta di Mele is always divine and decadent.
Serving: 1g | Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 709IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg