Andrea Milstein -
Founder
Viennese Apple Cake
(Here’s
a cake that will easily win the price for healthiest and tastiest treat
on the planet.
Freshly
ground spelt replaces processed flour and a good amount of precooked
shredded
apples act as filling between the top and bottom layer. With a food processor,
this
becomes one of the easiest and fastest cakes you’ve ever attempted.)
The Dough for the Crust
Ingredients:
1) 1 2/3 cups (300g) of milled Spelt Grains
(or 2 ½ cups Spelt Flour
2) ½ cups (100g) Sugar
3) 7 oz. (200g) Butter (left at
room temperature for 1 hour)
4) ½ tsp. Salt
5) 1 Egg - beaten
Preparation:
To make the dough by hand
1) Mix the flour, sugar and salt together
in a large bowl.
2) Add the butter and, using a pastry
blender or your fingers, work it into the
flour until it
resembles coarse crumbs.
3) Add the slightly beaten egg, retaining
a little bit for use as egg wash (after
adding the top
layer), and work it into the dough with a light kneading
motion. Form
into a ball.
To make the dough in the food
processor
1) Combine flour, sugar and salt in bowl
of food processor and pulse. Cut
butter into ½
-inch cubes before adding to the flour mix and pulse
approximately
12 times or until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2) Remove lid and add slightly beaten
egg, retaining a little bit for use as egg
wash (after adding
the top layer). Pulse a few more times and transfer the
contents to a
working surface.
4) Knead lightly and form into a ball.
After the dough is in a ball
1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) If your dough is rather firm you can
skip letting it rest in the fridge.
3) Divide dough into 3 thirds, using 2/3
for bottom and 1/3 for top.
4) Chill the dough reserved for top.
5) Grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch
(23cm) cake pan with removable bottom.
6) Use 2/3 of dough and roll to a disk
of approximately 10 inches.
7) Transfer to cake pan allowing the dough
to come up approximately ½-inch
on the sides
and prick a few times to allow steam to escape while baking.
8) Bake for 20 minutes and remove from
oven. Meanwhile prepare apple filling.
The Filling
Ingredients:
1) 6 Apples (combination of tart
and sweet) - coarsely shredded
2) 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
3) ½ cup Raisins (optional)
4) Juice of half a Lemon
Preparation:
1) Peel apples and shred in bowl of food
processor or grate by hand.
2) Transfer to medium size cooking pot
and add cinnamon, raisins and lemon
juice.
3) Cover and cook over low heat for approximately
15 minutes or until apples
are soft and
have compacted. Set aside and let cool.
4) Between 2 layers of plastic wrap or
wax paper, roll out remaining 1/3 of
dough to a 9-inch
disk. Place into refrigerator until ready to use.
Final Assembly
1) When pre-baked bottom and apple filling
are sufficiently cool, spread apples
evenly over bottom,
without pressing down.
2) Remove top disk from fridge and place
over apple filling.
3) Use reserved egg and whisk in a few
drops of water or milk and apply with a
pastry brush.
This will help your cake to achieve a nice golden color.
4) Bake for another 30 minutes.
5) After your cake comes from the oven,
let it cool before removing from the
cake pan.
6) Dust with powder sugar.
Bircher-Brenner Muesli
(This
is the original recipe for Muesli before it entered the shelves of super
markets
and
turned into something to add milk (or water) to. It is named after Maximilian
Bircher-Brenner,
a Swiss national. Oats have the highest protein content (14%) of
all
grains
and contain 7 B-vitamins as well as vitamin E and 9 minerals, including
calcium,
iron
and phosphorus. Oat contains no gluten and is an excellent source of nutrients
for
people with gluten sensitivities. The key, as with all other whole grains,
is, to
consume
the grain as soon as it is opened (milled or flattened) to minimize oxidation.)
Ingredients:
1) 3 tbs. Oat Groats* (Whole Oat Grains)
- ground
2) 3 tbs. Water
3) ½ Apple - finely grated
4) Juice of half a Lemon
5) 3 tbs. Yogurt
6) Seasonal Fruit
Preparation:
1) Grind oat groats in mill or coffee
grinder until powdery and mix with water
to form a paste.
2) Oat groats can be purchased at any
health food store. They can be stored
indefinitely
in a cool and dry place.
3) Add grated apple and combine.
4) Stir in lemon juice, yogurt and chopped
fruit. Voila – your breakfast (or snack)
problem is solved
forever.