Name: Grandmothers of Sils’ Apple and Yogurt Cake (Coca de Pomas de Abuelas de Sils)
Yield: Makes one 9-inch cake
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 3 cups finely diced or shredded peeled and cored baking apples, such as Granny Smith or Jonagold, or a combination; Crème fraîche, for serving (optional); ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons light olive oil; ¼ cup anise liqueur, such as Sambuca; 1¼ teaspoons baking powder; 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan; 4 large eggs; 1¼ cups granulated sugar; 1 cup lemon yogurt; Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan; Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting the cake

Preparation info

Makes
one
9 inch cake

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The New Spanish Table

By Anya von Bremzen

Published 2005

About

One of my trophies from the cooking session with the Grandmothers of Sils was the recipe for this moist, satiny apple cake flavored with lemon yogurt and ratafia, a brown herbal liqueur. Since ratafia is a rarity outside Catalonia, the abuelas suggest substituting an anise liqueur. Cointreau or an apple brandy, like Calvados, are also good options. The cake is rustic and unadorned, delicious for breakfast, merienda (a late-morning snack)