Warm Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes with Calvados

Posted on Friday, 19th November 2010 by Grace

Welcome fall into your home with these Warm Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes with Calvados and prepare yourself for the tantalizing and comforting aroma that radiates from your oven and permeates throughout your home.

When my son, Matt, returned home from school yesterday he was welcomed with the flavourful aroma of apples, butter, cinnamon and brandy and the first thing he said when he walked in the door wasn’t “Hi Mom, how was your day?” it was “Wow, what smells so amazing!” It reminded me of all the times as a child that I would run up the driveway in anticipation. I couldn’t wait to find out what my Mom was making because you could smell the enticing aroma all the way down the street.

When I first spotted this Apple Crumb Cake recipe I knew immediately there were a few changes I wanted to make to elevate the flavours. I added the Golden Yellow Sugar (a lighter brown sugar) because it adds a delicate buttery taste, which makes for a wonderful flavour combination with the apple.

When I was scouring the city for Butterscotch liqueur last month for use in the Butterscotch-Glazed Chocolate Bundt Cake I was thrilled to have finally (I have searched high and low for the last 2 years) found a coveted bottle of Calvados.

Calvados is an outstanding apple brandy from the French region of Normandy. The brand of Calvados that I purchased is golden copper in colour with a fruity flavour and a hint of caramel and vanilla. It is purely optional in the recipe but I found that it intensified the apple flavour, plus, caramel and vanilla with apples, could it get any better than that?

If you do invest in a bottle of Calvados not only is it a smooth sipping brandy, before and after dinner, but it can also be used to enhance the flavour of many different desserts, cakes, sauces, poaching liquids for apples or pears and it would be outstanding when added to sautéed or baked apples and also pears.

Anita from Dessert First featured doesn’t that sound amazing! And another great recipe I can’t wait to try is that I spotted on Ashley’s site Not Without Salt.

The next time I make my Poached Forelle Pears I plan on adding some Calvados to the poaching liquid to add another flavour dimension and I would also like to try it in my Pear, Rhubarb and Raspberry Crumble.

Calvados can also be used in many savoury dishes with pork, chicken or veal. With American Thanksgiving upon us, Calvados would be a fantastic flavour boost to apple stuffing or various gravies.

With or without Calvados these Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes served warm with tea or served with ice cream are sure to please. I wish I would have found Anita’s post before I made these (alas they are all gone) because the Calvados Caramel Sauce drizzled all over these little cakes would be to die for (definitely a must next time!).

Warm Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes with Calvados

(Adapted from Donna Hay, Instant Entertaining)

Makes 8 standard muffin-size cakes or 4 mini cakes

60 g (2 ounces) butter, softened
¹⁄³ cup caster (super fine granules) sugar
¹⁄³ cup golden yellow sugar (light brown sugar) (can be replaced with regular brown sugar or the caster sugar can be increased to ²⁄³)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup sour cream
1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ tablespoons Calvados (French apple brandy) (optional)

Apple Crumb Topping

1½ tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, extra
1 tablespoon brown sugar, extra
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, extra
15 g (½ ounce) butter, extra, melted
½ green apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 160° C (320° F). Lightly grease 8 standard non-stick muffin cups or 4 x 1-cup (8 fluid ounce) capacity non-stick muffin cups, set aside.
Place the butter, caster sugar, golden yellow sugar, cinnamon, salt, egg, sour cream, flour, baking powder and Calvados in a food processor and process until smooth (do not over process).
Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups, filling a little less than three-quarters full (they rise quite a bit).

To make crumb topping

In a small bowl, combine together the extra flour, extra brown sugar, extra cinnamon, and extra butter.
Toss the apple slices in the flour mixture; and then place the apple slices on top of the cakes.
Sprinkle with any remaining flour mixture.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
Serve warm.

Posted in Baking & Pastry, Baking Mise en Place, Pastry Doughs & Batter, Recipes

Comments (7)

7 Responses to “Warm Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cakes with Calvados”

Says:
November 19th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Oh hell yeah! And with the apple brandy snifter on the side too (for adults only) I could down a dozen of these bad boys! lol (My old chef voice talking)

Bon appetit!
CCR
=:~)
Says:
November 19th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Your photography is outstanding! Beautiful post and your recipe looks delicious too!!
Says:
November 19th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Beautiful and delicious.
Says:
November 19th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Adorable little cakes! I love the addition of calvados to these – cake with a punch.
Says:
November 19th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
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Says:
November 19th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Lovely!!!!
Says:
November 20th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Wow! Those look and sound amazing.