Torta di Mele with Caramel Frosting

This is a classic Torta di Mele, an Italian apple cake recipe which was shared by Chef Dennis Littley. Adding caramel frosting to the top was something I could not resist. This is an easy cake to bake, using apples in season, a little flour and basic baking ingredients. Serve this with tea for dessert or a snack. Recipe was inspired by Ask Chef Dennis. Serves 4.

Cook Time35

Total Time35

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Torta di Mele Italian Apple Cake

Servings: people

Calories: 478kcal

Author: Asian in America

Equipment

Round cake pan: 9-inches diameter
Large Skillet: 12 inches in diameter

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 whole large apples peeled, sliced; I used Fuji or red delicious
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 whole eggs
1 whole egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche bottled or homemade; for frosting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
Prepare the cake pan by greasing it with butter and placing parchment paper at the bottom.
In a large skillet, over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Reserve the 6 tablespoons of butter for later.
Add the apple slices to the skillet. Cook until tender, for about 8 to 10 minutes.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs plus the egg yolk, until blended.
Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest.
Stir in the flour and apples.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
Bake at 375 F degrees, for 30 - 35 minutes, till cake is browned on top. Test for doneness by pricking the top and center of the cake with the edge of a sharp knife. If knife comes clean, cake is ready.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes.
Loosen the sides of the cake with a sharp knife. Invert the cake on a cooling rack for 30 minutes more or up to 1 hour.
When cake has cooled, place on a large, round cake platter. Drizzle the top with Dulce de Leche.

Cook's comments:

Chef Dennis originally recommended dusting the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar. I have done that with a previous blog post and it was marvelous. For this recipe, I opted to drizzle dulce de leche on top. I either make my own (see past blog post) or use store-bought bottled dulce de leche. No matter what the topping is, this Torta di Mele is always divine and decadent.

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