Since we're moving into apple season, it's a good time to revisit this delicious apple cake. If you've got an abundance of apples, this will put them to good use.
I’d seen this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and then my cousin called raving about this great apple cake she’d made. She was right!
For the apples:
6 apples, McIntosh or whatever looks good
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons white or light brown sugar
For the cake:
2 3/4 cups (360 grams) flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon fine salt 1 cup vegetable oil 2 cups sugar 1/4 cup orange juice 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 large eggs
Heat oven to 350°. Butter a tube pan (angel food, bundt).
Peel, core and chop apples into 1-inch chunks. Toss with cinnamon and 5 tablespoons sugar and set aside.
Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar, vanilla and eggs.
Mix wet ingredients into dry ones; scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples (and their juices) over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top.
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool completely before running knife between cake and pan, and unmolding onto a platter. Serve and enjoy!
My verdict: Great cake! After we devoured a couple of slices of it, I cut it in quarters and stuck most of it in the freezer. Two days later, most of it has already been pulled from the freezer (not to worry, got more apples from the CSA). Slightly warmed up, it makes a great breakfast too!
I used a combo of McIntosh and Macon’s which worked well, you probably want to avoid the mushier apples like Delicious. Since we’re not an orange juice drinking household, I just bought an orange and juiced half of it.
The recipe calls for a cup of vegetable oil and suggests that you can use olive or coconut oil and/or butter. Because butter makes everything better, I used one stick of butter, melted and topped it off with vegetable oil. Might try an olive oil-butter mix the next time.
