Apple Cake with Cold Rise Yeast Dough (Eggless)

Yield: Large cake for 8-10 people

Dough

1 package (2 teaspoons) active dry yeast

150 ml lukewarm milk (about 100 F)

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sugar, divided

3 cups all-purpose flour

15 tablespoons (200 gram) butter, cold

1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling

4 tablespoons butter (50 gram)

1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar

5 medium - large apples, cored, peeled and chopped into medium chunks

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

120 ml 2%-milk

1/2 teaspoon ground anice (optional)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Almond flour for sprinkling.

To make a dough, in a medium bowl mix yeast and sugar in warm milk until dissolved. Sprinkle with flour and cover with a dry towel. Leave to proof for 15 minutes in a draft-free place (room temperature.

Sift flour into a large bowl. Add salt. Grate butter on large holes of the grater and add to flour. Using your hands rub the butter into the flour. Pour yeast mixture into flour-butter and make a soft dough. Don't knead it! Please dough into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place into the refrigerator for 1 hour.

In a large bowl, mix chopped apples with lemon juice. 

To make the filling, place the pieces of butter in a light-colored pan. Turn the heat onto medium. Begin stirring to move the butter around as it melts. Once melted, add sugar. Keep stirring. In about 5-8 minutes, the butter will turn golden brown. The foam will slightly subside, and the milk solids on the bottom of the pan will toast. It will smell intensely buttery, nutty, and rich.

Add apples and milk, stir everything together and sauté for about 20 minutes or until almost all liquid will be evaporated. Add ground anise and vanilla extract (optional) and  mix everything. Remove pan with filling and give a couple of minutes to cool off.

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C)

To shape a cake, prepare a pan 9 x 12 inches. a cookie pan, and parchment paper.

Cut parchment paper into a 9 x 20-inch rectangle and place it on a kitchen counter. Lightly grease the surface with vegetable oil and spray with non-stick baking spray. Sprinkle with almond flour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut 1/3 of the dough. Roll out the rest of the dough into a 9 x 18 rectangle and lightly sprinkle the lower half with almond flour. Spread equally filling all over the bottom half of the dough. Sprinkle with almond flour.

Take a remaining 1/3 of the dough and roll out into a 9 x 10 rectangle. Cover the filling and tackle the edges to hold filling inside. Cut the upper part of the dough into vertical strips and place them on a nice patter over the dough. Move parchment paper with cake to prepared cookie sheet. 

Bake for 25 minutes in an oven. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional). Cut into strips, and each stripe cut diagonally.

Serve with tea or coffee. Keep in an airtight container for a couple of days. Since some of us have no airtight container, I usually wrap goodies with paper towels and cover them with a plastic bag.

Russian version