Apple and Chocolate Heaven cake with honey and cinnamon syrup

Apple cake for Rosh Hashana – been there, done that. Here’s a new combo that includes the seasonal and traditionally significant tastiness of the ever-so-overdone Rosh dessert. Thank you smitten kitchen, al di la restaurant, and my CIA spy (aka my brother) for your inspirations…

ingredients:
cake | 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, at room-temperature
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 apples and 1 pear chopped into small-ish bits (i used granny smith and a bartlett but feel free to use whatever you have / your favorite for baking!)
3/4 cup chocolate chunks (i used a pack of these mexican style stone-ground dark chocolate — again, use what you have or to your taste!)
sauce | 1 cup water
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
zest of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 pinch of salt

method:

1. pre-heat oven to 350.
2. butter/flour your favorite cake baking vessel – a 9-inch spring form pan is ideal.
3. sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl and set aside.
4. whip up the eggs until they are stiff, pale, and thick – you can do this with an electric mixer (about 5-8 min) or by hand with a whisk (10-15 min).
5. brown the butter.
6. combine eggs, dried mixture and butter slowly, being careful not to over stir. mix/fold only until everything is just incorporated and pour it into the pan.
7. sprinkle apple and chocolate chunks on top (the cake will bake up around it!).
8. keep it in the oven for ~45-60 min. you’ll know it’s done with a clean test and a light brown crisp on the top and around the edges.
9. combine the ingredients for the sauce (minus the lemon juice) in a small pot. heat to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. let it cook until it reduces to a syrup-y consistency – when you dip a spoon in, it will drip slowly off.

hand wisking = awesome arm workout

browned butter smells like nuts

the goodies

right before the oven