A Danish Classic
Over the past few years, we have done our very best to share with you as many of the Danish classics as possible. These include cakes like drømmekage and brunsviger, pastries like kanelsnegle and tebirkes, and even savory dishes like smørrebrød. We have also shared classic Swedish and Norwegian dishes, and then branched out to develop our own Scandi-inspired recipes too. We love coming up with new combinations of flavors in pastries and cakes, like our lagkagesnegle. However, despite our best efforts, some classics have been forgotten along the way, even while remaining on our list of recipes to create. Today’s recipe is one of those, and while it is a simple combination of ingredients, we can promise absolutely delicious flavor in this nostalgic dessert.
Perfect for Autumn
Now, it may be the middle of summer, but you can also make this in the autumn. That is mainly because apples are in season then, so definitely save this recipe if you have an apple tree that is going to give you loads of fruit in August or September! Otherwise, we like to eat this in the warmer months since it a cold dessert, so it’s quite refreshing! Also, feel free to use whatever type of apple you like – we have made this with both green and red and it has turned out great using both! Of course, taste the applesauce as you cook it, and adjust with sugar and lemon juice depending on how sour/sweet the apples are. Add a bit of cinnamon for added autumnal flavor, or leave it out.
The History of Æblekage
This dessert came about in the 19th century, as it was a simple and accessible dessert to make. It requires no baking in an oven, very few ingredients, and you can assemble it easily without much need for decoration. Back then, this made it easy for anyone to make, even those who did not have an oven or a stove and still used a hearth to cook their food. Many Danes have their personal family recipe for æblekage, so there are many variations out there. Some like to add makroner (almond cookies) and others add chopped nuts to the breadcrumb topping. This is our simple and classic version!
First, we cook down the apples with sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and a bit of butter until soft and then let it cool. The rasp is made from breadcrumbs that are toasted in butter and sugar until crispy and golden brown. Then, we whip up some heavy cream and assemble the dessert. Top with whatever decoration you like (we make apple chips from the peels and sprinkle a bit of sugar on top) and enjoy!
Æblekage med rasp (Old Fashioned Apple “Cake”)
Ingredients
APPLE FILLING
- 925 grams (11-12 medium sized) apples, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Juice and zest from 1 lemon *we like our extra zingy so we add the juice from the whole lemon, but you can start with half a lemon!
- 30 grams (~2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar *you can adjust this to taste depending on the sweetness of the apples you are using!
BREAD CRUMB MIXTURE (RASP)
- 160 grams breadcrumbs: to make your own, you will need 5-6 slices of bread
- 60 grams (~4 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
TOPPING
- 400 milliliters (1 & 2/3 cups) heavy whipping cream
- 2-3 tsp granulated sugar *optional – we do not sweeten our whipped cream, but feel free to do so!
- Apple peels from 2-3 apples *for making apple chips!
Instructions
- Peel and chop 11-12 medium apples. This may seem like a lot, but the apples will release a lot of liquid! Save the peels from 2-3 apples if you would like to make apple chips.
- Add the apples to a pot. Mix in vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, and sugar.
- Place the pot over medium to low heat on the stove. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Once the mixture comes to a simmer, let it cook for 30-45 minutes, until the apples are very soft. Stir occasionally during the cooking time. If you need to, you can add a splash of water.
- Mash the apples in the pot until you get an apple sauce consistency. You can also leave some bits chunkier if you would like!
- Let the apple mixture cool down, first to room temperature (about 30 minutes), then you can place it in the fridge. You don't want it to be warm as we will be using whipped cream for this dessert!
- While you are cooking the apples or when the mixture is cooling, you can make breadcrumbs if needed. The easiest way to make this is using store bought bread crumbs!
- To make breadcrumbs from scratch: Preheat the oven to 300F (150C). It works best with bread that is dried out; you can toast the bread to get the same effect, just make sure not to burn the bread! Cut the bread into cubes and run through a food processor to break it up even more.
- Spread the bread onto a baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, until totally dried out.
- Now you can run the pieces of bread through a food processor to break it into even smaller, breadcrumb sized pieces. You can also put the bread in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. If the bread is not breaking up because it hasn't dried out enough, you may need to toast it for an additional 5-10 minutes in the oven.
- If you would like to make apple chips for garnish, keep the oven on at 300F (150C). Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp! They may be a little soft right out of the oven, but should harden as they cool. If it's a humid day, they may turn a little bit leathery as they sit out. Let them cool until ready to use.
- Once you have your breadcrumbs ready, place a pan over medium-low heat. Add butter and wait until it melts, then add in the breadcrumbs, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
- Toast the breadcrumbs in the butter until they are golden brown. Be aware that the sugar will caramelize them pretty quickly if you have the heat on the higher side, so stir often!
- Set the breadcrumb mixture aside to fully cool when done.
- Once the apple mixture and the breadcrumb mixture have cooled, make the whipped cream.
- Add heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Whisk until you reach soft peaks. You can use a hand mixer or even a whisk for this, it just may take a little while longer! We don't sweeten our whipped cream, but feel free to do so if you would like.
- We used an 11"x7" pan to assemble this dessert, but you can also do it in a round pan! Layer the apple mixture into the pan first.
- Add the breadcrumb mixture on top (you can reserve a little bit for garnish if you would like!) Flatten into an even layer.
- Add whipped cream as the third layer on top of the breadcrumbs. We like to swirl the whipped cream to create a wavy pattern!
- Garnish with breadcrumbs and apple chips (if you made them!) Best served immediately; It will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge, but the breadcrumbs may become soggier.
