I love Autumn. It’s one of the reasons I love living in NYC: actually having an autumnal season–as opposed to Texas where you only know it’s Autumn because football has started. And I am one of those obnoxious people that love all things pumpkin, with the possible exception of pumpkin spice lattes, which to me taste neither like pumpkin nor spice–but that’s an argument for another post.
But of course, pumpkin isn’t the only star of Autumn. Apples definitely shine, as they are in season and also pair deliciously with the warmer spices associated with this time of year. Growing up I never liked apples because the only apples readily available were red delicious, which were red but certainly never delicious!, or Granny Smiths which are great for pie but not much else.
Now there are a plethora of varieties of apples to chose–and this is the best time of year to eat (and bake with) them! Enter Spiced Apple Cake, which offers a delicious option for pumpkin lovers and haters alike! Hints of apple and spice inside a moist cake with a decadent icing–what’s not to love?
One tiny piece of advice–make sure you remove as much liquid off your grated apples as possible or your cake will take forrrrreeevvver to bake (but if you watch the Great British Bake-Off, you already know this!).
Spiced Apple Cake
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup fresh apple, peeled, grated, and placed the grated between two layers of paper towels/cheesecloth to remove all the moisture. Depending on the size of your apple, 1-2 large apples.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a large loaf pan (yes, I know I used a bundt pan because I wanted it to look pretty, but in hindsight, this would be better as a loaf).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
In a large bowl (or your stand mixer bowl), cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, scraping the sides as needed.
Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla. Mix to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture, alternating with the cider.
Once dry ingredients and cider are fully incorporated, fold in the apple
Transfer the batter to the pan and bake 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully removing from pan and cooling completely on a wire rack.
Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon cider
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
In a medium bowl, sift in the powdered sugar.
Add the cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
Add cider and cream and whisk until smooth and lump free. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick add more cream.
Drizzle on top of the cooled cake.
The Epicurious Texan 