01 -
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease the base and sides of an 20–23 cm round baking pan and line the base with parchment paper.
02 -
Wash, peel, and dice the Granny Smith apples. Set aside.
03 -
In a large mixing bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
04 -
Cut the salted butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.
05 -
Mix in the granulated sugar, then gently fold in the diced apples, ensuring they are evenly coated with the flour mixture.
06 -
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and whole milk.
07 -
Add the egg and milk mixture to the flour-apple mixture. Stir gently with a large spatula or wooden spoon until a thick batter forms.
08 -
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the surface and ensure the batter fills the corners. Sprinkle the reserved sugar evenly on top. Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
09 -
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 -
Whisk together egg yolks and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk until steaming but not simmering. Gradually whisk some hot milk into the egg mixture to temper it, then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook gently over low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5–10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in vanilla extract.
11 -
Slice the cooled cake and serve warm or cold, accompanied by warm or chilled custard sauce.