Torta di mele is an Italian apple cake that is so rich, so delicious, so absolutely AMAZING that I feel like demanding that EVERYONE try making it right now.
The flavour combination of almonds, vanilla, lemon zest and apples will transport you to terrazza on the Mediterranean coast. The sun is setting, but you are warm from the heat rising off of the bricks.
The cake is seriously that GOOD.
PrintItalian Apple Cake
Torta di mele is a rich and delicious Italian apple cake. This version is made with almond flour, honey and lemon for a cake that is so amazing that it is sure to become a favourite.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Preferment
- 1 1/2 cups flour (see notes)
- 1 cup buttermilk
Remaining Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 cup ground almonds (almond flour)
- 3 apples
Instructions
- Prefermenting is optional in this recipe. However, I always recommend hydrating flour for at least 15 minutes. Or soak the flour for up to 24 hours. See notes for more information on prefermenting.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients except for the apples into the flour and buttermilk. Blend everything really well.
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.
- Pour half cake mixture into pan a prepared 6″ cake pan and cover with half the apples in a nice layer.
- Pour remaining cake mixture on top and top with remaining apples.
- Bake at 350 F for 50-55 minutes. A cake tester should come out clean and the apples will be browning.
Notes
- Soaking the flour for at least 15 minutes is required to fully hydrate the flour. However, to preferment the flour, culture it for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. Here’s a post on why you might want to preferment your flour.
- Though this recipe calls for buttermilk, you could use milk kefir, sour cream or yogurt.
- I usually bake with my gluten free flour mix. However, you could also use any whole grain flour. If you use white wheat flour then only soak the flour for a short time to prevent it from developing a gluten structure (which would turn the cake into a loaf of bread rather than a cake).
Keywords: apple, gluten free, honey, refined sugar free, tea, coffee, soaked, prefermented
This is a very rich cake. I recommend serving it with yogurt, cultured whipping cream or custard to balance the rich flavours. Or enjoy it with a shot of espresso for the complete terrazza experience.
Anamaria
August 28, 2017 at 5:38 pmThis was FANTASTIC. I love everything about it and may even make it for my birthday. I really love the combo of soaked grains (I used whole wheat flour) and almond flour- how do you convert other recipes (paleo, regular, or nourishing traditions, whatever is easiest) to this combo of soaked grains and nut flour? How do you figure out bake time? Can you keep other ingredients the same? Paleo recipes are so crumbly and the other nourishing tradition soaked-grain recipe I made burnt on the outside when it still wasn’t done in the mdidle- this combo seems to solve both those problems. Any direction you can give would be most welcome!
★★★★★
Emillie
September 30, 2017 at 6:14 amThanks! Sorry for my slow reply. Your comment got caught up in my end of summer vacation. 🙂 I always play around with flour, and often add almond flour to baked goods. Try replacing just 1/2 cup to some of your favourite recipes. It won’t absorb as much liquid, so you may need extra flour.