Apfelkuchen (German Apple Cake)

I should never, ever watch my beloved Denver Broncos play football on TV while working on a new recipe. And I should never try to multitask while making said recipe...bad things happen. Ten minutes after I got the cake in the oven I realized that I completely left the whipping cream out of the batter, which explains why it was so thick and hard to spread (this should have been my first clue, but I was still too busy yelling at the opposing team and referees...it's totally their fault). I am happy to say, though, that this ended up as a happy accident. The cake was delish and it's probably that much better when ALL the ingredients are included. My husband said that it would be perfect for breakfast the next morning and he was so right. Dessert or breakfast, it's great for either, and I can't wait to make it again (the right way).

Apfelkuchen (German Apple Cake)
by Susan Whempner
adapted from recipe found on About.com

Crust
1 2/3 cup flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
9 Tablespoons cold butter
1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until small crumbs form (I use my food processor for this and it works wonders). Beat the egg with water and add to the mixture, a tablespoon at a time, to moisten. Continue to combine just until the mixture forms a ball. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour.

Apple Filling
2.2 pounds apples
juice from 1/2 lemon
Peel, core and chop the apples, sprinkle with lemon juice and toss. Set aside.

Cake Batter
2/3 cup sugar
13 Tablespoons softened butter
1 egg
zest from 1 lemon
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt (only if using unsalted butter)
15 Tablespoons whipping cream (1 cup minus 1 Tablespoon)

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and lemon zest. Mix the flour with baking powder and salt (if using). Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Beat until smooth. Add the whipping cream, a little at a time, beating between the additions.

Topping
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds (I actually increased this to 3 Tablespoons)

For the Springform Pan
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons flour

Assemble the Cake
Preheat oven to 350. Butter the pan well and sprinkle with the flour. Flatten the crust onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a springform pan. Drain the apples if necessary, place on top of the crust and spread them out evenly.

Spoon the cake batter over the apples then smooth out to the edges. Sprinkle the top evenly with the sugar and almond slices. Bake for 1 hour and then turn off the oven and leave the cake in for another 15 minutes. Crust should be golden brown and filling moist but set. Cool completely.