A Savory Dutch Cake Called Boffert
Photography by Maarten Vanderwal // Food Styling by Ingmar Niezen
Appelstroop is one of many delicious food traditions of the Dutch province of Limburg. Organic heirloom apples and pears are boiled for many hours over a wood fire in copper kettles until a dark brown syrup forms. It’s not too sweet, fragrant with the essence of summer, and a versatile ingredient in many dishes. One of the more surprising recipes is this savory cake flavored with cheese, mushrooms and mustard, and topped with a delicious appelstroop-based sauce.
For other appelstroop recipes: Beer and Beef Stew with Appelstroop, Roasted Chicken with Mustard and Appelstroop, Sautéed Endive with Appelstroop and Five Spices, Pear Tatin with Walnuts, Ginger and Appelstroop, and a local version from Executive Chef Jessica Lewis at The Oaklander’s Spirits & Tales restaurant, Polish Honey Cake with homemade Apple and Pear Syrup .
Boffert with Mushrooms and Garlic Syrup Sauce
Serves 12
Ingredients
1 head of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp Apple Pear Syrup
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 thyme sprigs
½ tsp salt
For the cake:
14 oz self-rising flour
3 eggs
6 fl oz buttermilk
3.5 oz grated aged goat cheese
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp salt
½ oz dried mushrooms, rehydrated
2 oz melted butter, and some extra to grease the pan
2 oz breadcrumbs
Note Use a Bundt cake pan with a lid.
Instructions
Peel the garlic cloves and blanche them in boiling water. Chop the garlic.
Heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic a few minutes.
Add the Apple Pear Syrup. Keep stirring and let it caramelize.
Deglaze with the vinegar and 3 ½ oz of water. Add the thyme and salt and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the flour, eggs, buttermilk, cheese, mustard powder, salt and the drained mushrooms in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer and mix it into a firm batter.
Stir in the melted butter. Grease the Bundt cake pan and lid with some butter and cover with the breadcrumbs. Shake the pan so that all is covered with crumbs. Fill the form for 2/3 of the way up the pan with the batter, and cover with the lid. Fill a separate baking dish with 1 inch of boiling water.
Place the Bundt pan in the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. If too much water has evaporated you might need to add more halfway through the baking process.
Take the Bundt pan out, take lid off, and place a plate on top. Turn the cake upside down. Cut in slices and serve with the sauce.
STORY and PROP STYLING BY MARIAN FLINT // PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAARTEN VANDERWAL // RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING BY INGMAR NIEZEN
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