It’s A Thing! The Rice Cooker Apple Ginger Tatin

Lady behind me in the supermarket checkout line asks if it is baking day after reviewing the contents I am placing on the conveyor belt. Yes, I say and we chat a bit. She offers advice about me using an oven instead of the rice cooker as we laugh. She wishes me luck and I am on my way. You know as if I have not a better thing in the world to do than bake an apple Tatin in a rice cooker. Today, this is my “better thing” thing to do. Thanksgiving is also coming and I am in charge of bringing desserts.

Apple Tatin is named after the hotel serving it. The Hotel Tatin. It originated in France.

My second round far more successful and beautiful than the first attempt. Flavor profiles slightly different as I modify ingredients. I forget butter at the market, maybe I left with champagne and forgot all about it. Second round gets made with olive oil and sugar as the caramel instead of butter and sugar. Results? Slightly shinier and a bit more wet texture but firm textured caramel. I use dark brown sugar as well which creates a darker top. This choice is more to my liking for this fall season. Another ingredient modification from the first. Speaking of the first round I forget to remove the cake with a plate from inside the rice cooker and it turns into that scrumptious mess as mentioned in the inspiration Frenchie YOUTUBE video. Literally free-falls and splat.

My rice cooker is an AROMA available at Amazon or Target.

Ingredients for Cake and Apples Caramel Mixture:

5 T Flour

5 T Brown Sugar (I use light in the first round and dark in the second round)

1 T Baking Powder

Cinnamon

2/3 Cup of Milk

1 Egg

Apples ( I use Granny Smith and Red Delicious in the first and Red delicious in the second)

1/3 Cup Salted Butter (Kerrygold is a good choice)

2/3 Sugar

He uses Quince. I don’t have Quince or Quince paste on hand so I use a some fresh ginger instead.

Method:

(Watch the video for the)

I cook the first one for 38-39 minutes. The second I cook for 50 minutes. 50 minutes the cake is visibly separating from the pan. I let it rest and (unlike the first) and gently remove by inserting a parchment covered (in a very sophisticated way, see pink duck tape) plate to ensure there is no free-falling to crash.