Mrs. Frankenstein’s Dutch Apple Cake Recipe (FrankenWeenie)

INTRODUCTION

Hello friends!  This week we’re going to be making Dutch Apple Cake from Tim Burton’s stop motion animated film, Frankenweenie.

Like our first recipe, this recipe is featured in Mrs. Frankenstein’s cookbook, along with the Double Dutch Cherry Muffins we made last week!

Unfortunately, I was unable to keep this recipe true to the film’s version. I attempted to bake this cake twice, first following the recipe as is and the second time I removed the apples from the batter as I suspected they were adding too much moisture to the batter as they baked. Both experiments ended up as very un-cake-like brown masses; what a bummer!

I took another look at the recipe’s image, and judging by the slice it looks like the cake has apples layered on the top outer edges. I decided to rework the recipe with a simple cinnamon cake with the apples cooked separately and then arranged on top.

DUTCH APPLE CAKE

• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2/3 cups of butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of whole milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using butter, or shortening, generously grease and lightly flour a 10-inch springform pan.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking powder, cinnamon, flour, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each one.
6. Slowly beat in the flour mixture, roughly a third at a time, alternating with 1/3 cup milk each time.
7. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 40 – 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove the cake from the oven and, taking a regular fork, poke the top of the cake as many times as desired. This will allow the juices from the apple topping to seep their way into the cake. Making it tasty and moist.
9. Allow for the cake to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and applying the topping.

APPLE TOPPING

• 4 apples (I used Granny Smith), cored, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4-6 tablespoons of brown sugar (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of butter

INSTRUCTIONS (TOPPING)

1. In a medium to heavy saucepan on medium to high heat, add the apples, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon.
2. Stir to distribute the sugar and cinnamon and then cover for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the juices released from the apples cook down into a slightly thick syrup.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the filling to cool enough so it’s comfortable to handle.
4. Carefully begin to arrange the apple slices in a circle around the outer edge of the cake , tip to tip, and work your way inwards until you’ve run out of slices.