Buttery Cinnamon Cake with Apple Compote

For those of you who were lucky enough to go apple picking this year, I have found a recipe that will put good use to your apples. It is an apple compote that is topped onto a soft and delicious cake, infused with cinnamon flavour. I used Empire apples for a chunky texture, but you can also add McIntosh if you like.

I found this recipe in one of my favourite magazines, the LCBO's Food & Drink. Do not underestimate this free magazine that the LCBO puts out seasonally. I would say that this one of Canada's most beautiful magazines, photographically and typographically. Even the layout of the magazine is well thought out, they incorporate the ads so well into the layout that it creates this cohesive look to the magazine without ruining the actual content.

I really just had to appreciate the magazine for a moment since in Canada, we really don't get many beautifully designed magazines and it is very refreshing to see one.

Art and design can make me so happy sometimes, but back to food, as this is a food blog.

Buttery Cinnamon Cake with Apple Compote
Serves 8

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp of ground cinnamon or ginger
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup of butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Glaze

• 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp of water

Apple Compote

• 4 large-red skinned apples (diced, peeled if desired)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cardamom or ginger
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease the sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until blended. Stir in flour mixture alternately with sour cream, making 3 additions of flour and 2 of sour cream. Spread into prepared pan, smoothing top.
3. Bake for 45 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a rack for 3o minutes.
   
4. For the glaze, combine sugar, cinnamon and water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove ring from cake. Brush top and sides with glaze and serve warm or slide the cake off the pan onto a rack and let cool completely.
   
5. Meanwhile, prepare the apple compote. Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until apples are tender but still keep their shape. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm with slices of cake and dollop of whip cream.

Recipe from Food and Drink Magazine