Tova Du Plessis

Jewish apple cake is one of those recipes where the oil and the apples and the cinnamon have been in a long-term committed relationship since 1950, and any attempt to improve the relationship by adding something new is more likely to introduce instability than flavor. Tova Du Plessis, who runs Essen Bakery in Philadelphia, understands this with the certainty of someone who has baked this cake enough times to know where the negotiating room actually is.

Du Plessis's technique focuses on the apple preparation: she cuts to a 3/4-inch dice rather than a slice, which distributes the apple evenly through the batter instead of concentrating it in layers. The apples are tossed with brown sugar and cinnamon and left to macerate for twenty minutes before folding into the batter, which pulls moisture out of the apple and concentrates the flavor. That released apple liquid goes into the batter with the apples, which is the step most recipes omit and the reason most versions taste like cake with apples rather than apple cake.

Essen in Philadelphia is the place you go when you want baking treated as a serious discipline. Bobby Flay's approach to this dish was more improvisational — which is a polite word for less prepared.