I usually trust the ATK (America’s Test Kitchen) recipes completely, but this cake left me wondering, “Why did they make it this way?”
At first, I thought I had made a mistake. But even after repeating it a few more times, the result was the same. The bread texture was too soft and mushy, and all the apples floated to the top, making the texture and appearance unsatisfying.
After comparing and analyzing other recipes, I adjusted a few things and finally achieved a satisfying result:
I Trusted ATK, But…
- Following the ATK recipe exactly led to a perplexing result: an excessively moist texture and apple pieces that floated.
- Even after several tries, the result was the same, so I ended up comparing and analyzing 5 other recipes.
- This analysis confirmed that the ATK method was quite unusual.
Comparison Experiment and Final Choices
🧈 1. Cooking Oil vs. Butter
- Among the 5 recipes I compared, ATK was the only one that used vegetable oil + milk instead of butter.
- Since all the other recipes used butter, so I immediately substituted the oil with butter.
🔪 2. How to Slice the Apples
- Some recipes call for finely diced apples, while others suggest larger chunks.
- This seems to be a matter of personal preference, but I found that slicing them thinly and lengthwise provided a better look and texture.
🥃 3. The Presence and Type of Alcohol
All the recipes I compared use alcohol.
- ATK added 1 tbsp of Calvados + 1 tsp of lemon juice.
- Most recipes use Rum, with 3 tbsp being the prevailing amount.
📌 Final Recipe Summary
You can follow this recipe, but make sure to adjust the ingredient ratios as listed below, referencing [🔗 Preppy Kitchen - French Apple Cake] for the method.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 5 oz |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp |
| Salt | ½ tsp |
| Eggs | 2 large |
| Sugar | ¾ cup |
| Butter | 8 tbsp |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp |
| Apples | 1.5 lbs |
| Lemon juice | 1 tsp |
| Calvados | 1 tbsp |
If you prefer a video, you can find it on YouTube:
Two Elements Kept from the ATK Recipe
📍 Pre-cooking the Apples
- In the ATK method, the sliced apples are microwaved for 3 minutes,
- until they become slightly translucent, and
- are bendable but don’t break
- They state that skipping this step results in a strange texture because the apples remain crunchy, even after the cake is fully baked in the oven.
🧪 Scientific Reason: According to ATK, apples contain an enzyme called pectin methylesterase (PME) must be heated above 70°C (160°F) to be deactivated, which is necessary for the apples to soften.
📍 Calvados + Lemon Juice Combination
- The flavor of the ATK recipe was excellent.
- While the texture was problematic, I wanted to retain the taste, so I kept the combination of alcohol and lemon juice.
I believe Calvados pairs well it’s made from apples. However, I haven’t tried the rum version yet, so I can’t compare.
Most other recipes only use 3 tbsp of Rum and omit the lemon juice.
📝 Final Thoughts
The unexpected results from my trusted ATK recipe led me to explore other recipes and conduct my own comparison and modification experiment.
As a result, I ended up with a French Apple Cake that has an excellent texture, and a satisfying flavor. It was too good not to share!
💬 If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment!
To run this site ad-free, writing a comment requires a GitHub account. Thank you for understanding the extra step! 🙏