In honor of my Finnish grandmother and my new Finnish friend from yoga class, Liisa, I decided to bake and post this favorite treat from my childhood. While it's true that I am a Euro-mutt like many Americans, I am mostly a 3rd generation Finnish-American. My mother's family was influenced heavily by my grandmother and her parents and sister. I don't know that I ever heard my great-grandmother, Mummu, speak anything but Finnish.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered there was a full-fledged Finn in my yoga class. It's been so fun to talk to her about all things Finland. I enjoy hearing her perspective on Finnish traditions and culture. She asked me if we had any Finnish traditions at Christmas, and this cake is what I remembered. We ate it a lot as kids. It's very simple to make, but also very rich and flavorful. It's a bit like pound cake, but the gooey center makes it much tastier than regular cake. The apples and cinnamon really add a subtle, but pleasant, boost to the cake. Liisa emailed me and said this GF version was very similar to her mother's apple cake, so that made me happy.
I decided to go super green when I gave the cake to Liisa by using one of the Goodwill dishes I bought for photography. It cost about the same as a paper plate so she doesn't have to worry about giving it back to me, nor does she need to feel guilty about re-gifting it or returning it to Goodwill. I think I will use this method of giving out food gifts in the future. I don't know why it took me so long to come up with that idea. I also chose this particular plate as a nod to the Finnish flag, which is blue and white.
I hope you make Finnish apple cake this holiday season. It's an awesome family favorite. Enjoy!
PS - I blame all my problems with food allergies on my Finnish genes and Liisa re-enforced this notion with her own gluten problems. We'll be cooking together soon.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cubes butter
2/3 sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 apple, thinly sliced
Cinnamon
Directions
Melt butter in microwave. Add sugar and eggs, beating slightly. Add flour, mixed with baking powder, and xanthan gum. Add vanilla. Pour the dough into a greased pie pan or spring form pan with parchment paper. Top with apple slices. Sprinkle cinnamon. Bake at 325 F for 25-30 minutes. Take out of the oven while the center is still gooey.
