Apple Recipes for a Sweet New Year
The perfect fall fruit: Bake it in a cake, a challah, a tart--or just dip it in honey
Apples ripen in fall, which is when we celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. In 2022, the holiday arrives at sundown on Sept. 25, and, as is the custom, we’ll dip sliced apples in honey as an expression of hope that the coming year—5783 on the Jewish calendar—will be as sweet as the honeyed fruit.
As a kid, I remember my father, a mechanical engineer, demonstrating the correct way to dip a slice of apple in honey without dripping on the table or in your lap. The method involved a precise sequence of dipping, swirling and biting, all happening within seconds. We never quite managed it, nor, as I recall, did my father. But that was half the fun!
In anticipation of this holiday, I’ve been hunting for apple recipes online and in my many cookbooks. There is no shortage. Suddenly, everyone is writing about apples—a fruit as associated with fall as pumpkins. In her “Big Apple Edition,” fellow Substack writer and cookbook author Anne Byrn lists 12 ways to enjoy apples, including a description of making a baked apple that reminded me of how much I loved my mother’s version, quite similar, although I don’t believe she served it with ice cream. Here’s Anne’s description of how to make it:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Core (but don’t peel) a medium apple and cut a hollow in the center about 2 inches wide. Mix a tablespoon soft butter with a tablespoon each finely chopped walnuts and brown sugar, plus a little cinnamon, and spoon into the cavity. Place in a pan, and bake until the apple is tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Another of my favorite bloggers, Jolene Handy of Time Travel Kitchen, serves up a fascinating history of the popular Tarte Tatin this week, plus a recipe that would make an excellent dessert for Rosh Hashanah or any of the upcoming fall and winter holidays.
Since a round challah is a requisite (at least at my house!) for the dinner table for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the holiday when we fast, then feast that comes 10 days later, you might want to consider making your own. Tory Avey has a recipe for an apple honey challah. She also offers excellent tips on weaving a beautiful four-strand round challah. When I make it, I usually add raisins, which I consider mandatory for the New Year.
Apple Granola!
As I’m partial to granola and love making my own, I was delighted to find new one to try that is flavored with applesauce from Paris-based cookbook author and blogger, David Lebovitz, whose recipes and writing I’ve enjoyed for many years. I have a rather foolproof recipe I didn’t think I could improve upon, but this one has completely stolen my heart.
I used applesauce that I made myself, though commercial applesauce is perfectly acceptable. It replaces some of the oil that is usually used in granola. You can use old-fashioned oats, but since Lebovitz says he prefers a mix of grains, I chose Trader Joe’s gluten-free Organic Rolled Oats with Ancient Grains & Seeds. I added hazelnuts and pecans along with the almonds and subbed a mix of syrups, including a delicious boiled cider from King Arthur Baking for the rice syrup, which I didn’t have on hand. The granola, which Lebovitz says is his favorite, may become mine also! It makes a wonderful mix-in for ice cream or yogurt or added to a streusel on a coffee cake. Link: David Lebovitz’s granola recipe.
A German Almond Apple Cake
Since a major influence on my culinary sensibilities came from my father’s German-Jewish background, I’ve always been drawn to German cooking, particularly bakery items. When we’d visit my grandmother’s home in Berkeley, there were often pink bakery boxes with the most amazing pastries inside, including Black Forest Cake and Sachertorte.
One of my favorite cookbooks is Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss. I turned to it while researching apple recipes for this post thinking I might attempt an apple strudel (or Apfelstrudel, as it’s called in German). Since I’m a bit intimidated (well, maybe more than a little) by the idea of making the stretched, layered dough that goes into strudel-making, I thought I’d leave that for a future newsletter (gulp!).
Meanwhile, after talking about apple recipes with my food blogger friend Patricia Rose and checking out her Fresh Food in a Flash recipe for a Plum and Almond Frangipane Tart, I thought something similar would work with apples.
I found a delightful apple-almond cake that’s quite simple and delicious—no stretching required in Weiss’s book. Coincidentally, baking guru David Lebovitz also wrote about this wonderful recipe. Here’s a link to his version, which differs only slightly from Luisa’s: German Apple-Almond Cake.
A few notes on 2 versions of this cake:
For my first version of this cake, I chose a mix of sweet and sour store-bought apples, including Granny Smiths, Fujis and Pink Ladies. Since there were so many size variations, I used my scale to weigh the apples before peeling and coring them. When I remade the cake, I used mostly Grannys. The apples’ tartness offsets the sweetness of the almond paste and sugar.
First time around, I used the popular Odense brand of almond paste, which comes in a 7-ounce size, the exact amount I needed for the recipe. The second time, I made my own. If you want to do it too (it’s really quite easy!), here’s a link to a recipe from King Arthur Baking. (Weiss also has a recipe that’s fairly similar in her book.)
As the cake came out looking very brown after an hour and 10 minutes, I wondered if I’d overdone it, but when I tested it before then, the dough still clung to the toothpick. I would suggest checking toward the end and covering the cake with foil if you think it’s browning too fast.
Comparing my first and second versions of this cake: The original recipe calls for 9 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch along with a little more than a cup of regular flour. Since cornstarch has no gluten, I wonder if that is why the first version I made was more crumbly than I would have liked. The second incarnation, however, with flour subbed for cornstarch, was a great improvement—a bit like an apple-laced pound cake and very tender. You can try it both ways and make up your own mind!
Future experiments: Other fruits, like plums or pears, would definitely work in this cake. Please give it a try and let me know how it turns out!
If you want more…
Here’s a link to my story about apple and honey cake and a plum cake recipe called Zwetschgenkuchen in German that’s a favorite of my family and very popular at this time of year. I’m such a fan of this dessert that I’ve written about it twice, including one of my first posts for this blog, written on Mother’s Day 2020. Here’s the link:
During Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when we spend quite a bit of time in contemplation and prayer, pledging to do better next year, I always find that making and eating the foods I remember from childhood and gathering with those I love brings back memories as sweet as the apples we dip in honey.
If you are celebrating the holidays, I wish you a Shana Tova U’Metuka!—a good and sweet New Year.
Thanks to my new subscribers and to those of you who have continued to read my posts. Likes, comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Ruth
It might surprise you to know that I have never tasted challah. I live in a regional area outside of Sydney and we don't have any Jewish bakeries nearby (what a pity). I am inspired by your beautiful photos and might make my own one day. They look delicious. Thanks for another wonderful post.
Glad you combined the apples with almond paste like we discussed. A great combination. The German Apple Almond Cake looks yummy.