Fall means a bounty of fresh apples. Fall also means apple cake. So I made one today. I did not give it enough minutes to cool, so I did have to put the cake back together ever so slightly. It happens. Still looks delicious and will taste even better.
Here is how I made it:
- 6 cups peeled thinly sliced apples (today I used giant Golden delicious from
a friend’s tree)
- ¾ cup turbinado or white sugar
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 3 cups flour
- 1 hearty tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup oil
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup pecan pieces
- 2/3 cup seedless black raisins
- Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
How to mix up and bake:
- Mix apple slices with cinnamon and ¾ cup turbinado or white sugar and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar in a bowl and put to side.
- Combine dry ingredients including nutmeg and cardamom in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Beat eggs with 1 1/2 light brown sugar.
- Alternately add the dry ingredients and the oil to the wet ingredients, then add the
orange juice and lastly the vanilla and beat for 1 minute. (batter will be rather thick)
- Pour 1/3rd of the batter into a greased and floured tube or Bundt pan
- Layer 1/3rd of the apple slices, raisins, and nuts over the batter.
- Repeat with layer of batter, then apples, raisins, and nuts, then batter, then final layer of apples, raisins, and nuts.
- Drizzle the cake with a bit of the remaining cinnamon-sugar goop from the apple bowl.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and about 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in pan on wire rack for 25 – 35 minutes, then turn cake out onto wire rack to cool completely.
- Dust top with confectioner’s sugar