Brown-butter Almond Apple Cake

The hardest part about this cake it sitting in the house, with the aroma of baking apples wafting around you, and not being able to enjoy a bite immediately, but rather having to wait for it to finish baking. So there's that. Also, one of my kiddos said it needed cinnamon; the rest said no. So you also have that decision to make.

We love this cake as a breakfast option, with it's overloaded apple-y goodness and whole whole grain oomph. It also makes a lovely (and not too sweet) dessert option.

Brown-butter Almond Apple Cake

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

Cake

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan

1/3 cups almond flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon, optional

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 eggs

5 large apples or 4 medium apples, peeled, quartered and sliced into thin slices (they do not have to be perfect slices)

Topping

1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

2 T brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan with butter; line with parchment. Set aside.

Make brown butter: Add 12 tablespoons of butter to a nonstick pan set over medium heat. Watch as the butter melts, then foams a lot, then settles and begins to brown; swirling occasionally as you go. The whole process should take about 4 minutes, but its really an eyeball (and an aromatic) thing: As soon as it starts to smell nutty and you see brown speckles at the bottom of the pan, remove the pan from the heat so the butter doesn’t burn. Set aside to let cool.

Make batter: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon if using, brown sugar, almond and vanilla extracts, and eggs. Using a rubber spatula, fold in cooled brown butter until just combined and then add the apples. If you want to save a few slices to arrange on the top, feel free, but the batter should be very apple-y.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan, then sprinkle with walnuts and brown sugar.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until the top looks golden and toasty. Let cool slightly. Serve warm, or let cool completely and serve with a cup of coffee as this also makes an A+ breakfast.