Ingredients :

• The apples — Choose varieties that hold their shape during cooking — Golden Delicious, Gala, or Reinette. Avoid Pink Lady or Fuji; they are too firm and stay crunchy in the middle of a soft cake, which is an unpleasant surprise. Four medium-sized apples, neither too big nor too small.
• Almond flour — This replaces part of the flour and gives the cake its unique texture — moister, denser, with that characteristic nutty background. The fine ground almonds found in the baking aisle work perfectly.
• The macaronade — This is an almond paste to be spread in a thin layer over the top of the cake before baking. You can find it in tubes or boxes in the baking section. If you can’t find it, mix 50 g of almond flour with 30 g of sugar and one egg white — same result.
• The butter — It is melted, not softened. Melt it over low heat and let it cool before incorporating it. If you pour it in while hot, the eggs will partially cook and the texture will be ruined. Semi-salted butter adds a bit more character.