Apfelkuechen (Apple Cake) from the Chalet Inn

Apfelkuechen (Apple Cake)
From THE CHALET INN where the Blue Ridge Mountains meet the Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina.

A simple and delicious German apple cake with that old-fashioned goodness!

Serves 6 to 8

11 oz plain flour
8 oz sugar
5 oz butter
2 egg yolks
pinch salt
1 lb cooking apples (or drained, canned apples)
juice of 1 lemon
pinch cinnamon
2 oz raisins
2 oz ground hazelnuts
2 oz ground almonds
2 tablespoons apricot jam
2 oz icing sugar
2 tablespoons kirsch or cherry brandy

Sieve the flour into a bowl. Stir in 5 oz of the sugar and rub in the butter. Add egg yolks and salt, and mix quickly to a dough. Chill for 20 minutes. Roll out half the dough to line a 10 inch flan ring. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Peel, core and slice the apples and mix with remaining sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, raisins and nuts. Moisten with a little water to blend. Spoon into the baked pastry shell and smooth out. Roll out the remaining dough to cover the filling (you can also make decorative strips to cover the flan). Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool in the pan overnight.

Warm the jam and spread over the cake. Combine the icing sugar and kirsch, spread over the jam and leave to set.