Colors are muted and a chill wind announces the imminent return of winter. Yet there is beauty in November as the lay of the land opens up, and features you may have passed by in summer are now revealed. Notice the upward curve of the hillside, the gray boulders that were strewn across the field by the retreat of glacial ice, and the actual shape of the trees with their bare limbs exposed. It’s a time for inner reflection as the days grow shorter, a time to embrace hygge, the Swedish word for “coziness.” It puts one in the proper mindset for creating a warm environment for Thanksgiving.
Take out that 9-inch spring form pan you’ve forgotten in the back of the cupboard and put it to good use making this French apple cake. Although not a traditional Thanksgiving dessert, this is a time-tested, seasonally appropriate favorite.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for top of cake
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons dark rum or cognac
2 baking apples such as honey crisp, peeled, and cut into ½ inch cubes (approx. 4 cups)
Directions
Preheat oven 350°F. Grease a 9-inch spring form pan.
In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Use a hand-held electric beater to cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Add eggs one at a time and beat in well. Beat in the vanilla and rum or cognac. Add flour mixture and beat on low until just combined.
Fold in the apples. Scrape into the prepared pan and top with 1 Tablespoon sugar.
Bake for about 40 minutes on the middle rack of the oven, until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a bit before removing the sides of the pan.