The last Tuesday in September is Norway’s designated epledagen ‘Apple Day’. The day is a celebration of this harvest fruit, which is the second most popular fruit in the country (source: frukt.no). The long ripening time throughout the summer with cool nights and warm days is ideal for providing apple varieties with thin skins that are crisp with a sweet and tart taste. The largest variety here in Norway is Red Aroma followed by Discovery. Shops and farm stalls are full of juicy apples at this time of year – tantalizing us with the many ways in which to use and cook with them. And to mark this day, I’m sharing this delightful Custard Apple Cake from Trøndelag.

Known as Stjørdalsblink Eplekake, this apple cake came to my attention from the cookbook, Norges Nasjonalretter. The name itself refers to the area of Stjørdal in northern Trønderlag and ‘blink’ refers to a target. Accompanying the recipe was the line that this is a cake which always hits the spot ‘blink’ for everyone and can be used for any occasion. It is a gorgeous apple dessert with a thick pastry encasing a soft custard filling with tangy apples. The original recipe includes raisins, which I omitted here because of family preferences, but do feel free to add in a handful if you so desire.  

This dessert is reminiscent of German apple cakes made with sweet pastry and custard. I tweaked the original recipe for a sweeter custard with a little less pastry, though the pastry is still quite thick, which provides a wonderful base for the rich and creamy custard. The apples shine through and you get a seasonal treat that really does hit the spot!

Custard Apple Cake (Stjørdalsblink)

Serves 8 to 10

For the pastry:

• 2 ¾ cup (330 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup (224 g) lightly salted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

For the filling:

• 4 large tangy apples, peeled and cored, sliced into thin slices
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon of your preference
• 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream
• 2/3 cup (130 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan.

In a food processor, combine the flour and confectioners’ sugar. Add the butter and pulse. With the machine running, add the egg to form a soft dough.

Using your hands, press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.

Place the apple slices on the bottom of the pastry and up along the sides. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the apples.  

Whisk together the heavy cream, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined then pour over the top of the apples. Bake for 1 hour or until the crust is golden and the filling has set. Let the cake cool before serving. This cake is best eaten at room temperature, but you can store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

*If you wish to add raisins, add 100 g on the bottom of the pastry before the apples are layered on top.