Almond & Apple Cake (kuchen)

Theres really  not much thats more important to me than kuchen. I mean my kids are great and all but thats not what I mean. Often when asked "whats your family food" or a special recipe for you? I respond with quite simply...kuchen. Now in German that just means cake, and often traditional kuchens are about as fast and easy as it gets, which for me is especially wonderful. Although theres a yeasted variety I most often make this standard buttery dough version. The cake itself is moist and delicious and vegan, yeah I know what your thinking...she said vegan? I really do just enjoy making vegan baked goods from time to time. I'm not really sure why exactly. Its like rising to some great challenge. Have you ever tried to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie without butter? Yeah well, its hard and I don't care what anyone will tell you, you can not replace the butter in most cookies. Cake-y cookies ok, but no one will convince me using only margarine or crisco in chocolate chip cookies is a good idea.

I've looked for a vegan almond cake for a few years off and on, I'm not really sure why because I don't think I've ever even had an almond cake before? I've seen a lot of blah looking cakes, or cakes that are smeared with gobs and gobs of frosting or chocolate... which is awesome but not quite what I was looking to achieve here. I wanted something simple, somewhat rustic yet flavorful and satisfying. That is just what I got with this recipe. The cake is enriched with almond extract and ground almonds, plus almond milk. Top it off with a few sliced apples and bake to perfection. Well that alone would be great but then I topped it with a cardamom scented apricot and honey glaze (and as I just realized honey is not  vegan? whoops. You can use agave syrup/nectar if you'd like). At the end of a long hard day I could proclaim let them eat cake!!!! And eat cake I did. 

Vegan Almond & Apple Cake:

Moist nutty and delicious. I add apples because its become a classic comfort for me. A cake with little apple dimples just makes my heart smile. You could substitute other fruit like cherries or plums maybe, but you won't feel deprived if you don't add any fruit at all.

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups All purpose Un-Bleached Flour *see note
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons ground almonds (plus a few tablespoons for the pan)

wet ingredients:
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup flavorless oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup almond milk
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

+ fruit, 4-5 apples sliced thin, 1 tablespoon sugar

Non-Vegan Apricot Glaze:

1/2 cup apricot preserves

2 tablespoons honey (or agave syrup- to go vegan)

1/4 teaspoon cardamom (heaping if you'd like, and I DO)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk together. Add wet ingredients and mix to combine. Pour into a spring form pan thats been greased or sprayed. Using extra ground almonds sprinkle the pan and roll the almonds around so that they stick to the greased pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan and smooth out. Top the cake with fruit, I used sliced apple cheeks, flat side down. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of sugar and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes. About 45 minutes total.

You may have to lower the heat and move the cake around to prevent the almond crust from burning but I assure you its well worth the fidgeting. Bake until a toothpick or sharp knife tests clean. Allow to rest at room temperature about 5 minutes. The cake will start to settle away from the edge of the pan. Remove the ring and pour glaze over top once its room temperature. 

**I garnished mine with additional ground almond and whole almonds, plus a wee sprinkling of sea salt. If you don't like that salty sweet then go ahead and omit that step. 

Note: You could very easily make this gluten free or whole wheat by substituting a combination of brown rice flour, gluten free flour mixes or wheat flours as desired.