MRS. VOLLMER'S GERMAN APPLE CAKE

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Mrs. Vollmer's German Apple Cake image

This comes from the St. David's School Cookbook (1974) and I have been making it now for thirty years. It's wonderful for parties; it's very elegant and rich, and really extraordinarily delicious. The pastry--which is really like shortbread--is good enough to eat by itself; the combination makes for a great dessert. It is rich enough that it doesn't need whipped cream (though I wouldn't stop anyone from adding some).

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 12

1 lb sweet butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 -5 cups unbleached white flour
5 lbs apples (I recommend a combination of Granny Smith and Mackintosh)
8 ounces apricot jam
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Steps:

  • For the crust:.
  • Blend the softened butter with the sugar thoroughly.
  • When creamy, add egg yolks vanilla and salt.
  • Mix well.
  • Blend in flour gradually, mixing lightly by hand until a homogenous mass.
  • Pat dough into a 12" rectangular pyrex baking dish until it is evenly distributed over the bottom and part way up the sides.
  • For the filling:.
  • Peel and core apples and slice them into fairly thin slices.
  • Sprinkle the slices with lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar as you go, placing them into a bowl, until all the apples are sliced.
  • Warm the jam.
  • If it is in a glass jar, loosen the lid and place the jar in a small pot of water, with the water coming half way up the side of jar.
  • Simmer over low heat until jam is soft.
  • Spread half the jam on the surface of the crust, and then place the apples, slightly overlapping, in as many rows as the bottom will take.
  • If you are using Mackintosh apples, they will shrink more and tend to break.
  • Keep your prettiest slices for the top, and arrange them attractively.
  • Using a pastry brush, spread the rest of the jam across the the top of the cake.
  • Sprinkle the top with almonds (I always leave this out unless I'm making it for a certain person).
  • Bake in a 350° oven for about an hour, until crust and apples are golden.

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