Apple Walnut Torte
A decadent upside-down cake featuring caramelized apples and ground walnuts, spiced with warm fall flavors like allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This elegant torte is finished with a glossy apple jelly glaze.
Ingredients
- •2 sticks unsalted butter
- •1½ cups sugar
- •2 pounds tart apples
- •¾ teaspoon salt
- •1½ cups all-purpose flour
- •1½ teaspoons baking powder
- •½ teaspoon baking soda
- •¾ teaspoon ground allspice
- •½ teaspoon cinnamon
- •¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- •1½ cups walnuts
- •2 large eggs
- •1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- •¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- •3 tablespoons apple jelly
- •1 piece cake pan
- •1 serving Calvados vanilla cream
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
5 min
- 2.
Butter pan and fit a round of parchment paper in bottom. Butter parchment, then flour pan.
5 min
- 3.
Spread 1/2 stick butter thickly on bottom of a 12-inch heavy skillet and sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar evenly over butter. Arrange apples, cut sides down, over sugar and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, turning apples occasionally, until sugar is caramelized and apples are tender and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
20 min
- 4.
Arrange apples, cut sides down, in concentric circles in bottom of cake pan, then pour over any caramel from skillet.
5 min
- 5.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3 min
- 6.
Pulse walnuts with remaining cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground.
2 min
- 7.
Beat remaining 1 1/2 sticks butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add walnut sugar and beat until just combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in extracts. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined (batter will be thick).
10 min
- 8.
Dollop batter over apples and spread evenly. Bake until torte just begins to pull away from side of pan and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool torte in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Put rack over torte, then invert torte onto rack.
50 min
- 9.
Melt apple jelly in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring. Brush apples generously with jelly, then cool torte completely, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
90 min