My favourite recipes at the moment are those by Momofuku Milk Bar. I love their confetti birthday cake, the very cake which inspired me to come up with the Oreo Red Velvet Cake. Needless to say, when I was asked to bake a cake for my mum's birthday, I chose a recipe by Momofuku Milk Bar.
Apple pie cake is a safe choice since everybody enjoys an apple pie once in a while. This cake incorporates apple pie filling and half-baked cheesecake as the filling to the layer cake. You won't miss out on the crunch of the pie crust as pie crumbs are used in the filling and to top the cake. It's really an apple pie converted to a cake. It's genius!
It really isn't that troublesome to bake a Momofuku Milk Bar layer cake. Although their cake recipes require things like sheet pan, acetate sheet and 6" cake ring, you really don't need to go all out to buy those things to make one of their cakes. Firstly, the filling is thick and sturdy enough not to flow down the side of the cake even if you were to just spread the filling without the cake ring and acetate sheet. Secondly, I personally don't like my cake to be too tall. With the cake so tall, you'll only need a small wedge for one serving, especially for Momofuku type of cake which you can't eat a lot because it's so rich and sweet. It becomes problematic when you want to cut a high cake into small wedges. It doesn't stand. Everything just falls out into one big mess. I find that up sizing the pans to 7" or 8" gives you the best size and height for the cake. I bake mine in round cake pans rather than in a sheet pan.
This is a reduced sugar recipe since we do not like our cake sickly sweet.
This soaked brown butter cake layered with half-baked cheesecake and filled with spiced apple pie filling and clusters of pie crumbs is the perfect indulgence for a special occasion.
Preparation time: 3 hrs + 1 day (to chill cake)
Cooking time: 1 hr 25 min
Utensils: Two 7" round cake pans
Serves 12-14
Level of difficulty: **
Barely Brown Butter Cake
55g butter, room temperature
40g brown butter *see note below
180g caster sugar
60g light brown sugar
3 eggs
120ml buttermilk (1/2 cup)
80ml sunflower oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
145g SR flour + 40g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
* to make brown butter, heat a heavy bottomed pan over medium-low heat. Add butter and allow it to melt. The butter will go from brown to burnt quickly, so keep your eyes on the pan. Stir the butter until it is dark brown and smells nutty.
"Don't be shy about browing the butter. You want it deep brown in colour and super nutty in aroma" - Christina Tosi
1. Heat oven to 170C. Line two 7" cake pans with parchment paper.
2. Combine the butters and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium high for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium high for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more.
3. Stream in the buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract while the paddle swirls on low speed. Increase the speed to medium high and paddle for 5-6 minutes, until the mixture is practically white, twice the size of your fluffy original butter and sugar mixture. Take your time as the mixture will curdle if you add too much liquid into the batter too quickly.
4. On very low speed, add the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Mix for 45 to 60 seconds, just until your batter comes together and add any remnants of dry ingredients that have been incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on low speed for another 45 seconds to ensure any little lumps of cake flour are incorporated.
5. Using a spatula, spread the cake batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The cake will rise and puff, doubling in size, but will remain slightly buttery and dense. When pressed, the cake should bounce back slightly at the center and no longer be jiggly.
6. Take the cake our of the oven and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, the cake can be stored in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 5 days. If the sides of the cakes have browned during cooking, use a knife to trim off the sides to expose the red colour.
Liquid Cheesecake
The recipe for Liquid Cheesecake can be found here. As the apple pie filling is quite sweet, I'd reduce 30g of sugar in the liquid cheesecake.
Pie Crumb
(makes about 350g)
The whole recipe for the crumbs will be too much for the cake. Make 3/4 of the recipe, out of which 1/2 of the original amount will be used for the pie crumb frosting.
240g AP flour
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
115g butter
1 1/2 tbsp water (use only if crumbs are still dry after adding butter)
1. Heat oven to 170C.
2. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and paddle on low speed until well-mixed.
3. Add the butter (and water) and paddle on low speed until the mixture starts to come together in small clusters.
4. Spread the clusters on a parchment or silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake for 25 minutes. The crumbs should be golden brown and still slightly moist to the touch at that point. They will dry and harden as they cool.
5. Let the crumbs cool completely before using in a recipe or eating. Stored in an air tight container, the crumbs will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.
Apple Pie Filling
(makes about 400g)
The original recipe calls for the apples to be soaked in water and the juice of 1 lemon. Since the apples will be brown when cooked, you can skip this step. Soaking the apples in water will cause the apple to absorb water and result in longer time to cook the apple filling. Sugar has been reduced by 50g.
350g granny smith apples (2 medium or 3 small)
100g light brown sugar
15g butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1. Peel the apples, then halve and quarter them. Put each apple quarter on its side and cut a small slice down the length of the apple to remove the seeds and core. Cut each apple quarter lengthwise into quarters and them crosswide into fourths, leaving you with 16 small pieces from every apple quarter.
2. Combine the apples in a medium pot with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, using a spoon to gently stir the mixture as it heats up and the apples begin to release liquid. Reduce the heat and simmer the apples gently for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Transfer to a container and put in the fridge to cool down. Once completely cooled, the filling can be stored in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 1 week. Do not freeze.
Pie Crumb Frosting
(makes 110g enough for one cake)
1/2 recipe pie crumbs
120ml milk (1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
40g butter, room temperature
40g icing sugar
1. Combine the pie crumbs, milk and salt in a blender, turn the speed to medium high and puree until smooth and homogeneous. It will take 1 to 3 minutes.
2. Combine the butter and icing sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream together on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes, until fluffy and pale yellow. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
3. On low speed, paddle in the contents of the blender. After 1 minute, crank the speed up to medium high and let her rip for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. If the mixture is not a uniform, very pale, barely tan colour, give the bowl another scrape down and another minute of the high speed paddling.
4. Use the frosting immediately or store in air tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Apple Cider Soak
60ml apple cider (1/4 cup)
1 tbsp light brown sugar
a pinch ground cinnamon
Whisk together until sugar is completely dissolved.
Cake Assembly Directions
Layer 1
1. Place a layer of cake on a cake board/ plate. Dunk a pastry brush into the apple cider soak and give the later of cake a good, healthy bath of the soak.
2. Spread 1/2 of the liquid cheesecake with a palette knife. Sprinkle 1/3 of the pie crumbs evenly over the liquid cheesecake. Use the back of the spoon to anchor them in place.
3. Spread 1/2 of the apple pie filling as evenly as possible over the crumbs.
Layer 2
4. Set a cake around the top of the filling and repeat the process for layer 1.
Layer 3
5. Nestle the remaining cake round into the apple pie filling. cover the top of the cake will all of the pie crumb frosting. Give it volumes or swirls, or opt for a perfectly flat top. Garnish the frosting with the remaining pie crumbs.
6. Transfer the cake into the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to set the cake and filling. The cake will keep in the freezer for 2 weeks.
7. Let the cake defrost for a minimum of 3 hours in the fridge before serving. Wrapped well in plastic, it can be stored for up to 5 days.
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I think the secret to out-of-this-world tasting cakes is putting together a few recipes that are delicious on its own. Each component of this cake tastes good on its own and when put together, is like a party in your mouth.
The side of the cake is not perfect, but it's something I can live with considering I didn't have to buy a cake ring and acetate sheet.
Happy baking! xx
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