APPLE GATEAU

Apple Gateau image

Though gateau is French for "cake," this recipe -- a sweet, tart variation on traditional layer cake -- is made without eggs or flour, from renowned chef Anne Willan.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 oranges
6 large sugar cubes
6 1/2 pounds tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, halved, and cored
Caramel Salt Butter Sauce
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Steps:

Heat oven to 175 degrees. Generously butter a 1 1/2-quart tall souffle dish and a wide strip of parchment paper to form a collar extending at least 3 inches above the rim of the dish. Press the buttered side of the collar against the inside of the dish. Chill until butter is set and the paper sticks to the dish.
To extract zest from the skins of the oranges, rub them with sugar cubes so that the cubes soften and turn bright orange. Wrap cubes in plastic wrap, and crush them with a rolling pin.
Set an apple half, cut side down, on a board and cut it crosswise into the thinnest possible slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Alternately, slice apple halves using a mandoline. Sprinkle bottom of souffle dish with sugar. Arrange a layer of apple slices in a floral pattern in the bottom of the souffle dish. Top this first layer of apple with more apples slices arranged across the others like ripples in a pond. (This crossed pattern of slices ensures that the cake holds together when unmolded.) Sprinkle the second layer with sugar. Continue filling souffle dish until apples, held in place by the paper collar, extend at least 3 inches above the rim. (They will shrink down into the souffle dish during baking.) Cover them with a round of parchment paper. Top with a small stack of plates slightly smaller than the souffle dish to seal and weigh down apples.
Bake until apples are much reduced and meltingly soft when pierced with a skewer, 12 to 14 hours. Tear off the top of the paper collar, and let cake cool to room temperature.
Combine mascarpone and yogurt in a small bowl. Unmold cake onto a warm platter. The top should be lightly caramelized with a little syrupy juice running down the sides. Serve warm, with caramel sauce and mascarpone-yogurt combination.