Nut cake with caramelized apples

Prepare the sponge cake. Whisk the yolks with half of the sugar (120 g) until thick and almost white. Whisk the egg whites separately. When the whisk leaves a clear trace, add the remaining sugar and whisk until dense and shiny.

Mix the egg whites and yolks with a spatula. Add the sifted flour with starch, nuts (25 g), and mix. Scoop the batter from the edge and drop it into the center of the bowl. Stir gently but thoroughly.

Be careful, pour melted butter along the edge. Mix and transfer to a mold. Bake for 30–35 minutes. Let cool.

Cream. For the syrup, mix the yolks with milk, strain, add sugar (80 g) and vanilla seeds. Place on low heat, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened.

Beat the softened butter (100 g) until lightened. Gradually add the completely cooled syrup by the spoonful. It should be quite thick and at the same temperature as the butter. At the end of beating, pour in the calvados (1 tbsp), add the nuts (25 g), beat again – and the cream is ready.

Pour flour into a dry pan and roast, shaking, until it turns cream-colored and has a nutty aroma. Set aside.

Cut the apples into small pieces. Melt butter in a pan, add sugar, apples, sprinkle spices and fry over medium heat until the apples are cooked and the liquid thickens. Add the toasted flour, mix and cool – the filling is ready.

Assembly. Cut the biscuit into three parts. Place apples on the bottom layer, cover with the middle layer. Spread half of the cream on it, cover with the third layer and spread the remaining cream on the sides.

For the glaze, mix all the ingredients very thoroughly, slightly heat until fluid, and pour over the cake. Spread the glaze evenly but be careful; it should not touch the cream (it's warm and will melt the cream).

Roast the nuts for decoration and chop them fairly finely. Sprinkle them on the sides of the cake and the top edge while the glaze is still not fully set.

For chips, slice the apple as thinly as possible across. Cook in the microwave at maximum power for 3-4 minutes (or longer, the chips should dry out). Sprinkle the chips with cinnamon.

Decorate the cake with raisins, apple chips, cinnamon, and nuts (100 g).