"Loaded with fruit, this dessert is cut and served as you would a cake, but the texture is that of a pudding. To keep the meal kosher when your menu includes meat, omit the whipped cream frosting and serve this with nondairy topping and the berry sauce. Begin the cake a day ahead."

APPLE-BOYSENBERRY CAKE (Passover)

Source: Bon Appetit' 1992

Yield: 10 - 12 servings

2 cups water
2 cups frozen unsweetened boysenberries or blackberries (about 8 ounces)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Passover brandy
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 pounds Golden Delicious apples (about 9 medium-large), peeled, cored, each cut into 12 wedges
1 13-ounce Passover sponge cake
2 cups sliced almonds, toasted
12 soft almond macaroons, finely crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted margarine, melted, cooled
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons Passover brandy
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
Additional toasted sliced almonds

Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and syrup comes to simmer. Using slotted spoon, transfer berries to small bowl. Add half of apple slices to simmering syrup and cook until tender and just translucent, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer apples to sieve set over large bowl. Press apples to extract excess syrup. Reserve syrup. Transfer apples to another bowl. Repeat cooking and draining with remaining apples.

Return berries and drained syrup to same saucepan. Boil syrup until thickened and reduced to 1 2/3 cups, about 5 minutes. Transfer boysenberry sauce to small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with margarine. Crumble cake onto large baking sheet. Bake until crumbs are dry and just beginning to color, about 15 minutes. Cool. Maintain oven temperature. Finely grind crumbled cake in processor.

Sprinkle 1/3 of cake crumbs in bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle 2/3 cup almonds over. Sprinkle 1/3 of macaroons over. Top with half of apple slices. Mix apricot preserves and brandy in small bowl. Spread half of apricot mixture over apples. Repeat layering with half of remaining crumbs, almonds, macaroons and margarine. Press top firmly to compact cake.

Place cake on baking sheet. Bake until top is golden and cake just begins to shrink from sides of pan, covering loosely with foil for last 15 minutes if browning too quickly, about 45 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Press top firmly to compact cake. Cool cake in pan on rack. Cover and chill overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead.)

Run small sharp knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Whip cream and 3 tablespoons sugar to firm peaks. Spread cream over top and sides of cake. Press additional almond slices onto sides of cake. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Cut cake into wedges. Spoon reserved boysenberry sauce over.

10 to 12 servings