After going apple picking, I was left with a ton of apples. And cider. So I figured, why not combine the two and make a delicious cake? I have layers of super fluffy cider cake, tart, creamy apple ganache, salted caramel cheesecake, and crispy apple chips. For the ganache, I used dulcey, or blonde chocolate, which is a slow roasted white chocolate that tastes like caramel, just to further accentuate the apple flavors. I also used malted milk powder, since that will add another nutty, toasty profile to the cake as well. I named the cake Newton’s Apple to reference when Isaac Newton discovered gravity from watching an apple fall, and trust me, there were plenty of those when I went apple picking.

For the cider cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons malted milk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
a pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups apple cider
8 tablespoons brown butter
4 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Sift your flour, milk powder, and baking soda, then toss with the sugar and salt. Combine all of your ingredients to form a batter. Pour the batter into a parchment-lined half sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to guarantee even baking. Allow the cake to cool down completely at room temperature before removing it from the pan and cutting out two 6-inch rounds and cutting and pressing the scraps into a third round.

For the apple chips:
1 apple
2 tablespoons brown butter
a pinch of salt
a pinch of cinnamon

Shave the apples thinly on a mandolin and toss with the other ingredients. Spread on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Bake at 275 degrees F for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through to guarantee even browning. Store in an airtight container to finish.

For the soak:
1 cup cider
a pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons malted milk powder

Mix together until the milk powder is completely dissolved into the rest of the ingredients.

For the dulcey-apple ganache:
4 oz apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 tablespoons brown butter
a pinch of salt
a pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup cider
2 tablespoons cornstarch
8 oz dulcey

In a pot, sweat out the apples in brown butter, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together the cider and cornstarch. Pour that mixture over the apples and allow everything to cook down on low heat. Once the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, transfer into a blender and puree with the dulcey to finish. Pass through a sieve and refrigerate until firm.

For the salted caramel cheesecake:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons gelatin powder
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel
8 oz cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a pot, heat up the dark brown sugar. In a bowl, melt down the gelatin into the water. Once the dark brown sugar reaches 220 degrees F, pour in the cream and then the gelatin and allow everything to dissolve and melt together on super low heat. Stir into that the fleur de sel. In a bowl, start creaming your cream cheese with the vanilla. Once the caramel mixture is fully liquid and homogenous in texture, pour into the cheese while whipping until fully combined.

To assemble:
Line a 6-inch ring mold with acetate. Place the scrap layer of cake down first, then pour in 1/3 of your soaking liquid. Spread on 1/3 of the ganache, then 1/3 of cheesecake. Repeat this twice with your remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 6 hours or freeze for 2 hours, then remove the mold and acetate. Garnish with the apple chips to finish.