I’m honestly so in love with this gorgeous rustic apple cake! It’s such a simple, unassuming recipe that turns into one of the most beautiful baked goods to ever come out of my oven. It all starts with a simple cake batter that’s equal parts buttery and sweet that’s then covered in cinnamon sugar coated apple slices.

As it bakes your house will smell like a fine bakery, and you’ll barely have patience to wait for it to cool. But when you do finally get to take your first bite you’ll be treated to the ultimate combination of light yet moist vanilla cake and perfectly tender spiced apples. True fall perfection.

 

Ingredients

For the topping:

3 yellow apples (i.e., ‘Golden Delicious’ or ‘Crispin’)

7 Juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar blended with 1 teaspoon (4 g) ground cinnamon

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups (204 g) flour

2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder

Pinch salt

Pinch nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 g) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup (201 g) sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1/3 cup (113 g) flavorless vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons (5 mL) pure vanilla extract

 

Instructions

Center the oven rack; preheat oven to 375°F. Peel, core, and slice the apples 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Put the apple slices in a large bowl, and toss first with the lemon juice, and then with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl, if you are using hand-held electric beaters), beat the softened butter at medium speed for 1 minute. Then add the sugar, and beat a medium speed until light and fluffy. With the machine running, gradually add the eggs, followed by the oil and vanilla. At low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating only until incorporated.

Grease and 8×8 pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth with a spatula. Then arrange the apples on top, in 3 slightly-overlapping rows.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the batter part of the cake comes out clean. Unmold onto a board or platter, and cut into 9 equal pieces. Serve warm or cold, with without vanilla ice cream.

In a large sauce pan combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes until rice is tender.

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Quick tip: Line the prepared pan with overlapping pieces of parchment paper that overhand the edges to easily remove cooled cake from pan and set on cake stand for an extra special presentation.

Recipe and image courtesy of A Garden for the House.