Italian Style Apple Cake -- Torta di Mele

Ingredients

• 2 cups + 3 tbsp. AP flour
• 1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp. sugar
• salt
• 1 1/2 ticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 lemon's, zest
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 pound Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 large egg white

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour a 9" springform pan.
• In a bowl, with your fingers, mix together 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, salt and butter until crumbly. Take 1 cup of this mixture and press over the bottom and 1/2" up the sides of the pan, making a 1/8" thick crust.
• In another large bowl, mix the milk, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, the remaining 3 tbsp. flour and baking powder. Whisk thoroughly. Add the remaining crumbs with a wooden spoon and mix until blended but still a little lumpy. Fold in the apples. Scrape the batter into the pan on top of the crust.
• In another bowl, beat the egg white until foamy. Beat in the rest of the sugar (2 tablespoons) and beat until the whites barely stand in peaks. Spread over the batter in the pan.
• Bake 65-75 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool 30 minutes on a rack.
• Take out of the pan. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

• SERVINGS: 12
• SOURCE: Adapted from Lynn Rossetto Kasper/"The Italian Country Table"