I was a newspaper reporter in Wenatchee, Washington, home of America’s major apple industry. In my stint there I spent a good deal of time working for the food section of the paper, searching out local food
stories and recipes. This one came my way from an elderly woman named Viola, and I’ve been making it ever since. Simple and forthright, the crunch of the nuts, the moisture of the apple, and the fragrance of
the coconut guarantee it a ready audience.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
2/3 cup (90 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon ne sea salt
2 large eggs
1 cup (200 g) vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, preferably from Madagascar vanilla beans
1 medium, tart-sweet apple, such as a Fuji, Gravenstein, or Cox
orange pippin, peeled, cored, and diced (1 cup)
1 cup (100 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup (45 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
Note: When whisking in the dry ingredients, take care not to overmix, which can cause toughness by over-developing the gluten in the flour. Unsweetened coconut is available at health food and specialty
stores.
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour a 6 × 10-inch (15 × 25-cm) glass baking dish.
2. Sift the dry ingredients onto a piece of parchment or wax paper.
3. In a medium bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the eggs until light and frothy. Whisk in the vanilla sugar and vanilla extract and continue whisking until the mixture is pale yellow. Whisk the dry
ingredients into the egg mixture just until combined, then fold in the apples and nuts. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle the coconut over all, and bake in the center of the oven until
the torte is golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Remove the torte from the oven and let cool to room temperature before serving.
