Apple cake with vanilla pudding

We start with the apples: we wash the apples carefully, making sure that no impurities remain on their surface. We peel them with a sharp knife, taking care to remove any spots as well. Once peeled, we grate them using a large grater, obtaining an ideal texture for the filling. We put a pan on medium heat and add the butter, letting it melt. After the butter has completely melted, we add the grated apples, drained of juice, along with the sugar. We let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan. When the apples become soft and the sugar caramelizes slightly, we flavor it with cinnamon, adding an extra touch of flavor. Once the mixture is ready, we remove it from the heat and let it cool to intensify the flavors.

For the base, we start by mixing the egg yolks with the sugar until we obtain a fluffy, light-colored foam. We gradually add the oil and sparkling water, continuously mixing to integrate the ingredients. We continue by adding the baking powder, vanilla, and finally the sifted flour, gently mixing to avoid losing the air in the composition. Separately, we beat the egg whites into a foam with a pinch of salt, and then we incorporate them with a spatula into the yolk mixture, being careful to maintain the volume.

We line a 37/24 cm baking tray with parchment paper and pour half of the base mixture. We place it in the preheated oven at a medium temperature for 10 minutes. After this interval, we take the tray out of the oven, add the apple filling, leveling it evenly, and pour the rest of the base mixture. We gently spread the dough with a spatula and put it back in the oven, letting it bake until it is nicely browned on top. We do the toothpick test to ensure that the cake is perfectly baked. Once baked, we take it out of the oven and let it cool completely.

For the pudding, in a bowl, we mix the sugar with a little milk and cornstarch until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. We extract the seeds from the vanilla pod and add them to the cornstarch mixture. We bring the rest of the milk to a boil together with the vanilla pod. When the milk starts to boil, we reduce the heat to low, remove the vanilla pod, and pour in the cornstarch mixture, stirring continuously. We continue to stir until the composition thickens, obtaining a fine pudding. We turn off the heat and let the pudding cool, and when it is at room temperature, we incorporate the soft butter, mixing well.

Over the completely cooled cake, we pour the pudding and level it carefully. We place the cake in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, so the pudding sets well. After it has cooled, we portion the cake and serve it with pleasure. Enjoy your meal!