Moravian Sugar Cake with Apples

Moravian Sugar Cake has been around for generations. A cross between bread and cake, the extra buttery results are a delight. Be sure not to overwork or add additional flour to the dough and your cake will be light and fluffy.

Serves: 10Hands-on: 30 minutesTotal: 2 hours 50 minutesDifficulty: Medium

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Serves: 10

Ingredients

  • 1 package (¼ oz.) active dry yeast
  • ½ tsp. plus ¼ cup sugar, divided
  • 1 Tbsp. nonfat powdered milk
  • 2 Tbsp. dry instant mashed potatoes
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¾ cup melted butter, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 medium tart apple, peeled, cored, and diced
  • 4 Tbsp. cold butter, cubed
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon

Directions

  • Sprinkle yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar into ½ cup of warm water (110°F). Set aside until yeast becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.
  • Add ⅓ cup water, sugar, milk, potatoes, salt, ¼ cup melted butter, egg, and ¾ cup flour. Stir to combine. Add apple and remaining flour a little at a time and knead into sticky dough consistency.
  • Place in a greased bowl and turn dough to coat. Dot with 4 tablespoons butter. Cover with greased plastic wrap and set aside until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • After dough has risen, punch down and place in a greased shallow 9" x 13" baking pan. Let rise 30 minutes, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your fingers to punch indentions into the dough, then pour on remaining ½ cup melted butter, and let dough rise another 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from heat and serve warm or at room temperature.