Apple Oven Cake

This recipe makes for a delightful breakfast or brunch item. I almost always adapt recipes to include healthful ingredients I regularly use. For example, in this recipe, I substitute whole wheat pastry flour for all-purpose flour and use maple syrup in place of brown sugar.  I also use plain Greek yogurt regularly in place of sour cream and in this case, as a quick alternative to Crème Fraîche (for which there is no substitute!). Enjoy it.

Yield: 6 servings

This tasty little “oven cake” is a lot like an apple dutch pancake – more “egg-y” than “cake-y.” It comes together quickly and makes for a delightful breakfast (or dessert!) served with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 sweet apple, such as Fuji, peeled, cored and sliced
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• fresh lemon juice
• fat free Greek yogurt (optional)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Melt butter in a 12-in ovenproof frying pan over high heat. I use a cast iron pan.
3. Add maple syrup and cinnamon; swirl to combine.
4. Add apple and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the eggs, salt, flour, and milk.
6. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve warm with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt.

Source: Adapted from a recipe in Sunset Magazine, originally submitted by Peter Zensius of San Francisco.