German immigrants brought their recipes along with them when they settled in Brazil, and cuca de maça (apple cake) is one recipe that remains popular today.   Cuca is the Portuguese version of the German word for cake,  "kuchen".

This apple cake is very similar to traditional German apfelkuchen, with a thick crumb topping (called farofa in Portuguese)  coveting a rich coffee cake filled with cinnamon apples.

See Also

Brazilian Carrot Cake - Bolo de Cenouro Com Cobertura de Chocolate

Bolo de Fuba - Brazilian Cornmeal Cake

Brazilian Banana Cake - Cuca de Banana

Ingredients

• For the cake:
• 4 tart apples
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 8 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 cups milk or buttermilk
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon rum flavoring
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• For the crumb topping:
• 10 tablespoons flour
• 10 tablespoons brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Salt to taste

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes

• Total Time: 75 minutes
• Yield: 1 bundt cake

Preparation

Peel, core, and slice the apples into thin slices.  Melt 2 tablespoons of  butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the apples, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar.  Cook apples, turning often, until they have softened and just started to caramelize.  Add a pinch of salt, or to taste. Remove from heat and let cool.

Butter and flour an angel food (tube) cake pan.

Prepare the crumb topping (farofa):  Whisk 10 tablespoons of flour, 10 tablespoons brown sugar, ns 2/3 cup rolled oats together in a medium bowl with a pinch of salt.

  Cut in 8 tablespoons of cold butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives, until mixture is very crumbly.   Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the cake batter: Place the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat until stiff peaks form.  Gently transfer egg whites to another bowl and set aside. Place 8 tablespoons of softened butter in the bowl of the standing mixer.  Add the sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add the egg yolks one at a time and mix well after each.  Add the vanilla and rum flavoring.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, alternating with the milk, and mix until well blended.  Gently fold in the egg whites.

Sprinkle about 1/4 of the crumb topping on the bottom of the cake pan.  Spread half of the cake batter into the pan.  Top with the cooked apples and another 1/4 of the crumb mixture.  Spread the remaining cake batter over the apples.  Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top of the cake.

Bake cake for 40-50 minutes, or until cake springs bake lightly to the touch.  To test for doneness, insert a wooden skewer into the center of the cake and remove it - you should only see crumbs stuck to the skewer, not wet batter.

Remove cake from oven and let cool for 10=15 minutes before removing cake from pan.