Barefoot Contessa's Apple Cake "Tatin"

Apple Cake "Tatin"

Apples.
Carmel.
Cake.

Sign me up!

I made Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa's Apple "Tatin" Cake (recipe here on the FoodNetwork website). It's like the traditional Apple Tartine/Tartin/Tatin (seen all sorts of spellings) but substitutes cake for puff pastry.

I cut two medium-large gala apples and one small granny smith apple, and placed them into a glass 9 1/2" pie plate.

Sugar is caramelized and poured over the apples. Ina's instruction say to take it to 360 degrees (which seems really really high), but I judged it by smell and color instead. Carmel always makes the kitchen smell sooooo delicious.

The cake is a very basic and easy to make - flour, butter, sour cream, eggs and sugar. Meyer lemon zest and vanilla is also added.

This came together very quickly (I made it in the morning before work), and I baked it for 42 minutes. After removal from the oven, wait 15 minutes and then invert onto a serving tray.

This is great with apples! I'd also like to try it with pears...and stone fruits like apricots in the summer.

I prefer cake to puff pastry, so I loved this apple cake "tatin". Another home run by Ina!
Recipe here.

P.S. Today, Sunday, Dec 21, fellow librarian Shannon is scheduled to deliver her little ladybug! Her first child is breech and never turned around (I think she liked having her head hit mom's ribs all the time ;) Best of luck and congratulations Shannon and Mike! I can't wait to meet your little girl! (Also so excited she'll be a Sagittarius like me too!)