Dutch Shoemaker's Cake

[kirra]

Dutch Shoemaker's Cake

Ingredients:

10 cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1 cup raisins
5 tablespoons butter, melted
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
Butter for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups toasted bread crumbs
Sweetened whipped cream, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan over a medium flame, heat the apples without water until very tender, periodically stirring. This requires supervision, otherwise they will burn.

Mash the apples and taste them. Add sugar to taste. Add the raisins, melted butter and then the yolks. Gently fold in the egg whites and incorporate thoroughly.

Butter a 9-inch springform pan and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs to make an even coating. Pour half the apple mixture in the pan and sprinkle the top with another 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. Then add the remainder of the apple mixture and top with an even layer of the remaining bread crumbs. Bake for about 50 minutes until the cake is firm and light brown. Remove, cool and remove ring. Serve cut into wedges with whipped cream, if desired.