Jewish Stacked Apple Cake

Photos by Knoxy

I’ve been teaching a lot lately and it always makes me feel fantastic when my students circle back around and ask me questions or for help in any way. First and foremost I’m a people person, so much of my teaching is done in person, but also because my website is all about having fun and to make the seemingly impossible possible. I’m not one to brow beat my readers into trying something new; “I work hard so you don’t have to” is an on-going theme. But I fully believe in explaining the process of cooking, especially when it comes to baking; double that when it comes to gluten free baking. The more I teach, the more I realize that every little detail is absolutely crucial, so when it comes to explaining what I do and why I do it, I realize more and more that less isn’t always best. So if you have any questions, don’t be shy. I’m extremely open and love to discuss.

I’ve had students of every type, but one characteristic that they all have in common is their curiosity; it’s a fear eliminator. One such student was and is the lovely Cheri.

Cheri and I met at my last cooking class and she reached out to me a few days ago requesting that I help her convert her Jewish grandmother’s famous stacked apple cake into a gluten free version for Yom Kippur. I was so flattered, of course I accepted. One, because Cheri was and is an incredibly energetic, curious student and I found her request perfectly inspiring. I insisted that Cheri tell me a little bit about her grandmother and asked if I could name this gluten free version after her, but Cheri insisted that I merely call it a Jewish Stacked Apple Cake, which would make her grandmother the happiest, so again, how could I say no? But this recipe turned out so beautifully, I in turn insisted that I please be able to mention her name so that her memory could live on and so, Frances Maislin, thank you for the recipe that guided us to this one.

l’Shana Tova !!!

Julian Schnabel (b. 1951)
Catherine Marie Ange, 1990
Oil, banner on white tarpaulin,
670.6 x 670.6cm
Private Collection

Jewish Stacked Apple Cake

6 eggs
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup + 3 tablespoons pure olive oil
1 ½ cups + 3 tablespoons sorghum flour
1 ½ cups glutinous rice flour
½ cup + 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
3 teaspoons guar gum
4 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons vanilla
¾ teaspoons kosher salt

vegetable shortening for greasing the pan

4 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (with a mandoline if you have one)
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure cane sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the ground cinnamon, sugar, salt and orange zest if you are using it. Add the apples and toss to evenly coat. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until they begin to froth. In a steady stream, add the sugar and whip until double in volume.

While the eggs are mixing, in a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and whisk to amalgamate. Now, alternating with the orange juice, add the dry ingredients to the eggs, reducing the mixer speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Mix until you can no longer see and dry ingredients, then whip on high for 2 minutes and the batter is thick.

Liberally grease your tube pan, being careful to wedge extra into any creases in the pan.

Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the paper.

Pour enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan with ½ inch. Now arrange a layer of the apples. I found that the cake will seal if you don’t let the apples touch the sides of the pan. Cover the apples with more batter—just enough to cover the apples. Repeat layering until you are ¼ inch from the top of the pan.

Bake for 1 hour 10-15 minutes and the top of the cake is golden brown.

Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes to set, then invert onto a wire rack to un-mold. You may need to run a knife around the edge of cake and pan to release.

Serves 8-10