I love the sweetness of fresh apples especially when they've been cooked in a pie or a bread. The natural sugars really shine through and make the dessert extra special.
Apple desserts are popular in the Fall, but why only then? I mean, apples tend to be cheaper than some other fruits all thru the year, so why not have apple pies and apple breads and apple cakes year-round? And apples are good for you, so these desserts must be good for you, too!
When I am making an apple pie, I cut my apples in chunks, not thin slices. It's just how I have always done it. Some may think slices are better, but it's baker's choice! Today, I made an apple cake, when I still cut my apples into chunks, but smaller chunks than I would for a pie. Cake turned out so good and my house smells amazing!
I tried to keep this recipe a little healthier by substituting applesauce for vegetable oil. If you don't like putting oil into your recipes, applesauce usually works great, but you can also use melted butter. When using melted butter, you may get a denser finished product though - for example, a cake made with butter will not be as fluffy. It's something to do with the type of fat used. I am not a scientist nor do I pretend to be, so I can't explain it, but I just know what I know from experience.
Anyway, if you want to taste Fall even in the summer, this is a great cake and I highly recommend you try!
Here's what you will need:
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar (you could probably cut back to 3/4 cup and still get a great result)
- 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger (I like my cake a little spicy, so you can omit if you don't like spice)
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves (adds a great aroma, but can be omitted if you don't like)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 egg, beaten (beat it in a bowl or cup before you pour it into the other ingredients)
- 2 cups of peeled and chopped apples (this is roughly 2 medium apples)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Here's what you need to do:
1. Heat oven to 350 F. If you're using a convection oven, you may want to start at 325 F.
2. Spray a 8"x8" baking dish with PAM for Baking or you can grease and flour.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a spoon or whisk. Normally, I don't mind just throwing everything in and mixing, but in this case, there is very little wet ingredients compared to dry, so it's easier on your arms for mixing if you mix all dry, then add in the wet ingredients.
4. Add the egg, applesauce, and vanilla.
5. Using a rubber spatula, add in the apples. Fold the batter over the apples to ensure they're all coated well.
6. Put your batter into the prepared dish.
7. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. To check if it's done, insert a butter knife or toothpick into the cake and ensure it comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from pan.
8. Make your glaze by coming the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. You should not need to sift the powdered sugar especially if it's a brand new bag.
9. Pour the glaze over the cake.
Notes: You can make these into muffins/cupcakes - just reduce baking time to 15-18 minutes. You can double this recipe to make a larger cake.
The first time I made this cake, I used a 10" bundt pan, which only filled 1/3 of the way (see pictures). It baked well, but I will say that it does crack easily. Had I doubled the recipe, the baking time would have easily doubled, but it probably wouldn't crack as easily.
I hope you enjoy!
Looks delicious