I hope you had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the beginning of the New Year. Today, I have for you a simple apple cake based to my grandmother’s old recipe – Cake Sib – Persian apple cake with pistachios کیک سیب. At this time of year, cakes with apples taste extra delicious. Since I used cinnamon and other winter spices, it is also perfect for the Christmas and winter season. But we also love to eat it all year round. Bake the cake, and your home will be filled with the scent of 1001 nights.

CAKE SIB – PERSIAN APPLE CAKE WITH PISTACHIOS کیک سیب

I topped this sweet and tender apple cake with fresh red-fleshed apples and added apples to the batter. The apple cake is glazed once before and after baking with honey, giving it a shiny glaze and a unique taste. The oriental spices in the cake add a natural sweetness to the apple, giving it a warm and autumnal touch. I topped the apple cake with chopped pistachios after baking. Especially now, in the cold months, my Persian apple cake with pistachios tastes good when enjoyed lukewarm with a dollop of cream or vanilla ice cream. The warm, sweet cake with the cold, creamy ice cream is worth indulging in!

APPLE CAKE FUN FACTS

Apple cake is the most popular cake worldwide, so it’s no surprise that there is a large variety of it on the market. Whether it’s a covered German apple cake, sheet pan cake, sunken cake, strudel, Apple Pie, or Upside Down like the French Tarte Tatin, every country has its version, as we do in Iran. To suit every taste, the types of dough also vary, from sponge, shortcrust, and yeast to puff pastry. The main ingredient, of course, is the apple. Worldwide, there are around 7,500 apple varieties, but the most popular in Germany is the Boskoop. Just choose an apple variety from your region. I used red-fleshed apples for this cake, but you can bake it with other apple varieties.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF APPLES

Apples add a fruity, juicy flavor to many dishes, whether in Jams, Soups, Fall Salad, apple cake or on their own. Purchase fresh, aromatic and intense-tasting apples at a farmers’ market or from a local farmer. Did you know that a lot of apples are not vegan as they are coated with a layer of Beeswax? This keeps the apple fresh for a long period of time and prevents it from becoming wrinkly soon. People who eat apples regularly suffer less from Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Apples have a detoxifying effect on the liver and strengthen your immune system. Some apples are considered particularly healthy; these are usually the old apple varieties from orchards, e.g. Boskoop, Berlepsch, Idared and Cox Orange. Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Jonagold are new varieties that are also healthy.

INGREDIENTS PERSIAN APPLE CAKE

INGREDIENTS MARINATED APPLES

4 medium-sized red-fleshed apples

1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon*

2 tbsp sugar

INGREDIENTS BATTER

300 g butter, room temperature

300 g sugar

5 eggs

2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

zest of one organic orange

300 g flour

1 sachet baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 tsp cardamom*

1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon*

a pinch of Allspice* (clove pepper)

TOPPING

2 medium-sized red-fleshed apples

5 – 6 tbsp honey*

50 g chopped pistachios*

PREPARATION OF PERSIAN APPLE CAKE

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Line a 28 cm cake tin with baking paper.

Peel two apples, quarter, deseed and cut into small cubes. Add the cinnamon and sugar to the diced apples and mix well. Set aside.

PREPARATION BATTER

Beat the softened butter and sugar in a stand mixer until the mixture becomes light in color (approx. 10 min.).

Add the eggs one at a time and mix in well. Now add the orange juice and zest.

Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl and add to the cream one spoonful at a time.

Fold in the sugared apple cubes. Pour the batter into the baking tin and tap firmly 2-3 times on the work surface. Pull the dough upwards from the edge (see pictures) using the back of a spoon, leaving the center free. In the middle, press the dough down again with the spoon and smooth it out.

PREPARATION TOPPING

Cut the last two apples into quarters, core and cut into thin slices. Cover the pastry with the apple slices in a fan shape and glaze with honey.

Bake the cake for 40 – 45 minutes. Use a toothpick to test whether the pastry is baked through. Glaze the apples on the cake again with honey while they are still warm until they are shiny. Sprinkle the edge of the cake and the center with chopped pistachios. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, serve lukewarm or remove from the tin when it has cooled completely.

BEFARMAYID!

Susan

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Have you cooked this or maybe another delicious recipe of mine? Feel free to leave me a comment below. If you tag your picture on Instagram with @labsalliebe  and use the hashtag #labsalliebe, I won’t miss a post and will be happy to leave you a comment as well. Can’t wait to see your creations.

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