When I was growing up, the highlight of Rosh Hoshanah, the Jewish New Year, was a fat slice of apple cake. It was a sweet and reliable part of the holiday. But as I got older and my palate developed, I started to feel like the cake fell a little flat. There was nothing playing with the apples to bring out some dimensionality. This version injects plenty of life with nutty rye flour, bittersweet caraway, and floral thyme. But the real force comes from root beer, which adds a strong and mysterious herbal note to the cake. 

Serves 8

Ingredients:

150g (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan

400g (14oz) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

225g (1 cup packed) light brown sugar

3 large eggs

360ml (1 ½ cups) root beer

100g (1 cup) plus 2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

100g (1 cup) rye flour

2 tsp baking powder

Kosher salt

Leaves from five fresh thyme sprigs

2 tbsp caraway seeds, ground

2 tbsp demerara (turbinado) sugar

For the thyme syrup

100g (½ cup) granulated sugar

8 fresh thyme sprigs

Method: 

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
• Toss the apples with the lemon zest and juice in a large bowl.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. With the mixer running on low speed, trickle in the root beer. Stop again to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• In a large bowl, mix together the plain (all-purpose) flour, rye flour, baking powder, and large pinch of salt. Add to the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to stir until combined. Fold in the thyme leaves and caraway.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Fan the apples across the top of the cake and sprinkle the top with turbinado (demerera) sugar.
• Bake for about 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes before flipping onto a large plate.
• Set a cooling rack over the cake and use the plate to flip the cake again so the apples are facing up.
• Make the thyme syrup: Combine the sugar, thyme sprigs, and 120ml (1/2 cup) water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and brush the syrup generously over the top of the cake.
• Let cool completely before serving.
• Cover and store any leftovers at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Recipe adapted from Second Generation: Hungarian and Jewish Classics Reimagined for the Modern Table (Harvest)

Jeremy is chef patron of Agi’s Counter