Torta di Mele di Sant'Orfeo | Italian Apple Cake Recipe

This simple apple cake is perfect for the autumn holidays! Feel free to substitute chocolate chips or dried cranberries for the raisins if you prefer.

Watch the Pasta Grammar video where we make this recipe here:

For this recipe, you will need:

- 1 cup (120g) raisins

- 10 1/2 tbsp (150g) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan

- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar

- 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

- 3 large eggs

- 5 medium apples

- 1 medium pear

- 1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste

- 2 tbsp (30ml) whole milk

- 1 tbsp (16g) baking powder

- A 9 1/2-inch (24cm) springform pan

Preheat an oven to 340 degrees F (170 C). Submerge the raisins in warm water and set aside to soak.

Set up a bain-marie by filling a medium saucepan with enough water so that a heat-resistant bowl can nest inside with the bottom partially submerged in the liquid.

Over low heat, melt the butter in the bain-marie. Once the butter has melted completely, gradually add the sugar while whisking. When the sugar is mixed in, take the bowl out of the saucepan and gradually add the flour while continuing to whisk.

Next add one of the eggs and keep whisking until it is fully incorporated. Repeat this process until all three eggs are mixed in. Set the batter aside.

Peel and core the apples and pear, then chop them into 1/2-inch chunks. Mix these into the batter. Drain the raisins, squeeze out the excess moisture, and pat them dry with a paper towel. Add these and cinnamon to taste into the batter. Stir the baking powder into the milk until it dissolves completely (it will foam up quite a bit). Add this into the batter as well. Mix thoroughly.

Thoroughly rub the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2-inch (or similar) springform pan with a pat of butter, then dust it with flour and discard the excess. Pour the apple batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center pulls out clean.

Allow to cool completely before removing the springform and serving. Buon appetito!