Food and prop styling by Shiri Feldman
Food prep and styling by Chef Suzie Gornish
Photography by Felicia Perretti

When I created this recipe, my criteria were to use just a few eggs, not separate eggs, not make it overly sweet, and most crucially, the texture should be good. I’ve tried many Pesach apple cakes over the years, and I’ve often been left with what I call a glorified very sweet, settled, scrambled egg! I knew this cake exceeded my expectations when I served it to a guest who told me it tastes mezonos-like and proceeded to ask me for a piece for his wife at home!

SERVES 16

• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 eggs
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar
• ½ cup oil (I used walnut oil)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon, plus more for serving
• scant 1½ cups potato starch
• 1 large Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, and left whole
• confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

Cinnamon Topping

• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp oil
• pinch salt

Drain applesauce in a strainer lined with 2–3 pieces of paper towel for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9-inch (23-cm) square pan with Palisades Parchment Paper.

Add the eggs, sugars, drained applesauce, and oil to the bowl of a mixer and beat on high speed for 5 minutes, until light and lemony. Lower speed, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix until just combined. Add potato starch by sifting it with a small sifter over the mixing bowl. Turn off mixer.

Peel the peeled apple over the mixer to get long, thin apple ribbons. Mix until just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan, gently smoothing out the top.

Mix the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Carefully sprinkle over entire surface of batter. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Cover loosely with parchment paper and continue baking for 5 more minutes.

Remove pan from oven and cool before slicing. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve with vanilla ice cream flecked with cinnamon, if desired.

This dessert freezes well.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 889)