Cheat’s Danish Apple Cake (Gammeldags Æblekage) – layers of stewed apple & oaty biscuit crumbs topped with whipped cream & grated dark chocolate. My twist on a Danish classic!
Today I’m sharing my Cheat’s Danish Apple Cake (Gammeldags Æblekage) and step-by-step video tutorial with you.
As autumn is just around the corner my mind wonders to apples and one of my favourite traditional apple desserts, Danish Apple Cake which I posted a few years ago.
This is usually layers of sweetened stewed apple with vanilla, sweetened toasted oats (or breadcrumbs) topped with whipped cream and I like to finish with a grating of dark chocolate.
However, I have to admit that as much as I enjoy eating Danish Apple Cake, (usually courtesy of my mum at Christmas and other special occasions), I rarely make it myself. It’s the making of the toasted oats with sugar and butter that can sometimes be a bit tricky as they can catch and burn, plus it’s just another bit of fiddle and an extra pan to wash up.
So it was time to give this traditional recipe a modern time-saving twist I felt!
For some time I’ve thought I should cheat and substitute the toasted oats for something else. So I decided to use crushed oaty biscuits (aka Hobnobs but I used a supermarket own brand) or you could also use granola, Amarettini biscuits or any other crunchy biscuit eg Gingernuts would be great to ring the changes!
So how do you serve Cheat’s Danish Apple Cake?
I’ve usually served it in one large serving bowl but this time opted for individual glasses/goblets.
You could even make miniature dessert shots in tiny glasses which would be great if you’re having a buffet and want to serve various desserts!
Mum actually said she used crushed Digestive biscuits the other day and served a deconstructed version whereby everyone just assembled the dessert in their own glass at the table!
This a great idea if you have people of different ages or dietary needs, they can just take as much or little as they want!
I do hope your try my Cheat’s Danish Apple Cake as I’m sure you’ll love it!
More Apple Desserts
If I’ve put you in the mood for apple desserts you might like to check out the following:
- Eve’s Pudding
- Quick Apple Puddings
- Rustic Apple Galettes with Honey & Thyme
- Homemade Caramel Apple Ice Cream
- Plum Apple & Almond Tarte Tatin
- Open Face Apple Pie
- Apple Rose Puffed Pastries
- Apple Rhubarb Crisp
- Peanut Butter Apple Cheesecake
- Blackcurrant and Apple Steamed Pudding
- 4 Ingredient Cream Cheese Apple Dip
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Cheat’s Danish Apple Cake (Gammeldags Æblekage)
Ingredients
- 500 g Bramley apples
- 500 g dessert apples
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 200 g oaty biscuits eg Hobnobs
- 300 ml whipping cream
- 15 g grated dark chocolate
Instructions
- Fill a pan with water.
- Peel, core and finely slice apples and drop into water.
- Drain, add 1 tbsp water and stew apples with 3 tbsp sugar and vanilla sugar under a lid until tender (about 10 - 15 minutes).
- Transfer cooked apple to a bowl and allow to cool.
- Whip the cream until softly stiff, then pop in fridge.
- Put the oaty biscuits in a bowl and crush with the back of a rolling pin until you have irregular crumbs. Using a food processor just turns the biscuits into too fine a crumb I find.
- Once the apple has cooled put a layer of apple and biscuit crumbs into 6 serving glasses/goblets or one large bowl and repeat layers.
- Top with a layer of cream and decorate with grated chocolate.
- Serve straight away or chill until for up to a couple of hours until needed. You want the biscuit to remain as crisp as possible.
Ninja
Hmmm. No currant jelly? I grew up with it too, but Zweibach crumbs were used for the layers. The red layers and the contrast in textures is part of what makes it wonderful. The chocolate seems out of place.
Camilla
If that’s the way you like it then great. Not something I’ve ever seen in Denmark and wouldn’t imagine any of my relatives using a German ingredient in their aeblekage although some did use breadcrumbs toasted in a frying pan. My mor always added grated chocolate to the cream and it’s a tradition I carry on. You can make a recipe to your own liking, there are no rules once you’re in your kitchen. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts:-)
Sunil Dogra
Looks so delicious and perfect for parties! Pure comfort food for sure! Thanks for sharing.
Camilla
Thank you Sunil:-)
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
Such a clever idea – I love an individual dessert! This sounds beautiful.
Camilla
Thank you, it’s simple yet so effective and delicious:-)
Sisley White
These look amazing. Your photography is so beautiful I could just reach out and grab it.
Camilla
Thank you so much Sisley:-)
glenn hutton
These look fab, the only apple dessert where I eat apples is in a pie, thanks for this option!