• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Oh My Veggies logo

  • Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegetarian Main Dishes
    • Vegetarian Appetizers
    • Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes
    • Vegetarian Side Dishes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Snack Recipes
    • Drinks
    • Sauces, Spreads and Condiments
    • Holiday Recipes
    • From our Readers
  • Cooking Tips & Hints
    • Cooking Tips
    • Plant-Based Nutrition
    • Product Reviews
  • Shop Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Find Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Freebies!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Find Recipes
    • Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Freebies!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Oh My Veggies » Vegetarian Recipes » Dessert Recipes

    Apple Breton Cake

    Published: Oct 3, 2011 · by Nicole · Updated: Aug 22, 2023 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Apple Cake

    I'm probably a bit late to the party, but I only recently heard of Annabel Langbein.  For those of you who haven't heard of Annabel, she is a New Zealand celebrity cook and author a number of books including The Free Range Cook, Great Food for Busy Lives, Sensational Food Made Simple and Savour the Pacific which won the 'Best Photography in the World' award at the World Cookbook Awards in France, as well as a Ladle at the 2001 World Food Media Awards.

    I first came across Annabel in her Free Range Cook tv show, and the first thing that struck me, apart from the absolutely breathtaking New Zealand lake front location of her home (check out her Free Range Cook tv show and you will know what I mean!), was her passion and enthusiasm for great food.  Each episode you see Annabel foraging in her amazing garden and visiting local New Zealand producers for fresh produce that she incorporates into her delicious recipes.

    I love the idea of growing what you eat (if only we had a big enough garden to enable us to do that) and also utilising great fresh produce direct from the producers instead of supermarket shelves.  It's strange that years ago we used to do these things, but somehow lost our way and became reliant on supermarkets for all the food we eat. It's wonderful to see a return to this way of life and eating.

    While we can't all be lucky enough to have an amazing garden like Annabel, we can make the effort to purchase food from greengrocers or from farm co-operatives rather than supermarkets, especially in todays times where it seems supermarkets are the driving force in market prices and seem to pay farmers less and less for their amazing products.

    Apple Cake

    I saw this recipe for Apple Breton Cake on Annabel's website and couldn't wait to make it.  My fiance is a huge fan of apple cakes and pastries, so I knew I just had to make this for him.  To call this a cake though, in my mind, is a bit confusing because instead of a fluffy cake batter it's actually a buttery pastry that surrounds the delicious apples encased inside.  I think the best way to describe it is like a freeform apple pie.  Whatever you call it though, it's delicious, and was given a glowing endorsement by my 8 year old stepson who pronounced it "Double Yum!".  I don't think you get a better endorsement than that from a child!

    Are you an Annabel Langbein fan?  If so, what are your favourite recipes of Annabel's?

    By the way, have you got your entry in for our 7 piece Scanpan Knife set compeition?  The competition ends October 10 so click here to get your entry in for your chance to win this great prize valued at $160!!

    Apple Cake

    Apple Cake

    Recipe

    Apple Breton Cake

    Recipe adapted from Annabel Langbein's Apple and Feijoa Breton Cake
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Dessert
    Keyword: Apple Breton Cake, apple cake recipe, cake recipe, Delicious Everyday
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 636kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    BRETON BASE:

    • 250 g butter softened
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 tsp natural vanilla essence
    • 1 tbsp iced water
    • 4 egg yolks
    • 3 cups flour
    • 1 egg yolk for glaze

    FILLING:

    • 8 - 10 regular apples depending on size, peeled, cored and sliced
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
    • 2 tablespoons of ground almonds
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • To make the base beat the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and iced water and then beat in the egg yolks one at a time, beating well between each addition. Finally sift in the flour and stir through until just combined.
    • Press ⅔ of the base into a 26cm springform tin covering the base and the sides. Roll out remaining pastry between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper and refrigerate both while you make the filling.
    • To make the filling combine the apples, sugar, water, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large saucepan and place over a low heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Strain the apple mixture and set aside to cool completely.
    • Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius (355 Fahrenheit) and remove the pastry from the refrigerator and sprinkle the ground almonds over the base which will help prevent the base from becoming too soggy. Pour the drained and cooled apples over the top and then top with the pastry lid. Press the edges of the pastry together to seal and then brush with the egg yolk glaze and sprinkle with extra sugar.
    • Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm with freshly whipped cream.

    Notes

    I used a mixture of Grannysmith and Sundowner apples.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 636kcalCarbohydrates: 86gProtein: 7gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 189mgSodium: 231mgPotassium: 67mgFiber: 1gSugar: 50gVitamin A: 945IUCalcium: 35mgIron: 2.6mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
    « Rhubarb, Strawberry and Ricotta Tart
    Meal Planning: Which Fruits and Vegetables Last the Longest? »

    Delicious Everyday, Dessert Recipes, Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes DE

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. [email protected] says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Yeah shes great , love her books. Your Apple Cake looks delicious. Apples are one of my favourite dessert/ cake ingredients too..

      Reply
    2. Katherine Martinelli says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Such a lovely cake! It reminds me of Jewish apple cake. I've never heard of Annabel Langbein (but I'm an American living in Israel so perhaps out of touch on New Zealand chefs 🙂 ) but I love the sound of her philosophy.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        You definitely should check out Annabel as she has some great recipes and a lot of free recipes on her website. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Baker Street says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      5 stars
      The cake looks gorgeous! Hope you'll come and share it on our blog hop 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks 😀 I've added my Apple Breton Cake to the blog hop 🙂

        Reply
    4. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      That apple breton cake looks fantastic! I've made a breton cake but that was really like a buttery shortbread. I think this sounds like a really nice version of it 🙂

      Reply
    5. Irishbaker says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      unusual take on apple pie/cake,love the look of it!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thank you 😀

        Reply
    6. Shumaila says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      This looks so good! Bookmarking it! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    7. kankana says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I am fan of apple cake .. husband not that much! He likes to eat apple just plain 🙂 This is making me feel like going to the kitchen and bake a cake and there are apples at home too!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Nothing beats a good old apple cake 😀

        Reply
    8. Sukaina says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Amother apple fan here! Actually the whole family is! When I read the title, I did think that the first picture looked more like a pastry casing then cake as well! But the recipe sounds delicious- can't go wrong with apples can you!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        The pastry casing on this is interesting because it's sort of like a cake style pastry in that it's softer than normal pastry. It's definitely delicious though 🙂

        Reply
    9. Jaime says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      This cake looks a lot like the Apple Cakes we eat in the Netherlands. Every grandmother has a recipe. ;-)I'm going to try this one out to see how it compares to my Grandmas' cakes. 😀

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Hi Jaime 😀 I think every Grandmother everywhere has an apple cake recipe 😀 If you decide to give this a go let me know what you think and how it compares to your Grandma's 🙂

        Reply
    10. thelittleloaf says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      This looks absolutely gorgeous. I love the idea of growing everything you eat too...sadly I don't have enough space in my little London flat, but our fabulous farmer's markets are the next best thing!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        I can imagine the range you have available at the London farmers markets, much more than we would get here 😀

        Reply
    11. Irene @ H.V.R. says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Great recipe! I was having a problem on what food I would share for our party and after seeing this blog I immediately thought that this is it, and I was right! Everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks for the feedback Irene 😀

        Reply
    12. juniakk @ mis pensamientos says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      what a beautiful rustic pie cake! this is so gourmet! welcome to the #applelove bloghop 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thank you Juniakk 😀

        Reply
    13. Carole says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Have not heard of her, but this looks great. Reminds me of Far Breton I used to eat in France. That was made with prunes, but was delicious too.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        I've never heard of Far Breton. I'm going to look that up 😀

        Reply
    14. Rosa says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      That cake looks amazing! I am bookmarking your recipe.Cheers,Rosa

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks Rosa 😀 Let me know how you go with the fritters.

        Reply
    15. Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      5 stars
      I love baking with apples and this cake looks simply divine!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks Xiaolu, baking with apples is a favourite of mine too. If you like apple baking you should try this recipe because it's a little bit different with the cake style pastry. 😀

        Reply
    16. Tamsin says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Thanks for sharing this recipe. I have had it bookmarked and on the list of going to try someday for over a year. I finally made it yesterday for a going away party. It was devoured. It was so buttery and flavorful. We loved it. So glad I got around to trying it. I'm pretty certian I will be making this again and again through out the years to come. Thanks!

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes

    Something to say? Leave a comment. Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    image of the author

    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
    Learn more here.

    signature of author

    get a free 5 day vegetarian meal plan

    shop our vegetarian and vegan cookbooks

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    • Shop Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Still hungry? Check out our delicious family of blogs.

    veg kitchen
    step away from the carbs
    all she cooks
    midlife rambler
    wandertooth logo

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Hook & Porter Media

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.