Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Custardy Apple and Kale Cake

November 11, 2025 at 12:01 am | Posted in BWD, groups, other savory, savory things, tuesdays with dorie, veggies | 6 Comments
Tags: baking, cake, savory, vegetables

I eat a lot of kale salad in the cooler months, and I always like for it to include a sharp cheese and some type of sweet component, like apple, pear or dried fruit. This Custardy Apple and Kale Cake pretty much takes my typical winter lunch, and turns it out of a bowl and into a cake pan. This isn’t really a quick bread and it isn’t really a frittata…it’s some in-between thing…kind of a thick, loaded up pancake.

The veggies– shallots and kale– get a quick precook in a sauté pan. Once again, Dorie calls for the perplexing step of rinsing raw onions/shallot before sautéing, and also straining the cooked veggies of excess liquid. I did neither of these (well, I would have strained the cooked veg, but I didn’t have any visible liquid left in the pan). I used sharp cheddar and a Jonagold apple, which I didn’t peel because it had beautiful red skin. All this gets mixed into a simple batter and baked in a springform. This is rustic, sweet and savory and delicious any time of the day. And you don’t even need a salad on the side, which my husband would say is the best part of all.

If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan yet, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!

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What a beautiful kale and apple cake…I love the look of those unpeeled red apples in there, it makes it look more exciting. I’m with you on kale, apple, cheese salad, definitely appears here on the side of “are we having this again?” Yes, yes we are having this again…and now I’m excited to be having it appear in cake form just to see what that is all about, thanks for the encouragement. Beautiful photo.

Comment by Kayte Gerth— November 12, 2025 #

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This whole post made me chuckle…I agree with everything you said haha…and I don’t rinse the onions either and I didn’t have liquid form the veggies. I also wouldn’t call mine custardy haha!

I also love kale…and salads and was pleasantly surprised at this one. I knew I liked the ingredients but as a custardy “cake”??? I totally agree..not a cake, or a bread and not quite a frittata so maybe as you said…a loaded pancake haha. Yours looks delicious…I love the golden edges.

Comment by isthisakeeper— November 12, 2025 #

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- mine wasn’t super custardy either…I suppose it could have been like a savory clafoutis, but mine didn’t have enough batter to bake up like that.
  
  Comment by steph (whisk/spoon)— November 18, 2025 #
  
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This one was perplexing but delicious. By the way, nice photo with Dorie at her book signing and a nice shout out in her book too.

Comment by Diane Zwang— November 14, 2025 #

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- omg- you saw the photo. although it was so good to see her, I was hoping no one would notice that. hahaha
  
  Comment by steph (whisk/spoon)— November 18, 2025 #
  
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Looks delicious! If I ever allow kale in my kitchen again, I’ll have to try it.

Comment by Judy— November 24, 2025 #

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