From Our State’s A Taste of Our State series. Click here to read or listen to contributor Sheri Castle’s column from the October 2025 issue.
“I call this a cake, but it reminds me of a custard-style apple pie baked without a crust. There’s just enough honey-kissed batter to hold the apple slices together. I first made a simpler version of this recipe nearly 25 years ago after seeing it in a Parisian cookbook. The author learned it from a woman who sold apples in a local farmers market, so she called the recipe “The Apple Lady’s Apple Cake.” I’ve made several changes over the years to Southern it up a bit. The most important tip I can share is to use a blend of North Carolina apples rather than any one single variety. Be sure to choose apples that are recommended for pie so that they’ll hold their shape when cooked instead of softening into sauce.”
Yield: 8 servings.
Cake Base
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 pounds mixed variety of sweet-tart baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin wedges
Topping
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, yolk, sugar, honey, butter, and vanilla bean paste until well-combined. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Fold in apples to coat them with batter. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake in the center of the oven until the top sets and turns golden, about 30 minutes.
Quickly whisk together the sugar, honey, egg, and melted butter, then remove the cake from the oven. Pour the mixture evenly over the top. Return the cake to the oven and continue baking until the top is a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes more.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan and then release and remove the outer ring. Let the cake cool to room temperature before serving.
The best way to identify the perfect North Carolina apples for a recipe is to ask the grower or seller, especially when seeking less familiar heirloom varieties. No one is more eager to guide you to the best choices. For pie, we want apples that have a sweet-tart balance, nice acidity, and good flavor retention after baking, and that will hold their shape when cooked without turning mushy, grainy, or mealy. Good apple choices for pie include Arkansas Black, Braeburn, Cortland, Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Mutsu, Pink Lady, Rome, and Stayman.
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