the sugarapple

after apple picking 🍎 last week, I now have to get creative with a bunch of sweet delicious apples.  (apples are one of my absolute favs).  one of the first recipes I found intriguing was this old fashioned apple cake from King Arthur Flour.  I made a few minor modifications, but I would recommend this cake any time of the year (but especially now because it happens to be national apple month 😉 )

but first, let me share some photos – it was an absolutely beautiful day for apple picking last Saturday, we went to B.J. Reece Orchards in North Georgia (not too far from where I live in Atlanta) and we picked a BUNCH of apples, way toooooo much (well not really, perfect for me 😉  )

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and then some of those apples were turned into – old fashioned apple cake (recipe below):

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old fashioned apple cake via King Arthur Flour (w/very slight modifications)

• 2 1/3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice (note: I did not have Apple Pie Spice, nor chose to make it – so I improvised and it was perfect)
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups peeled, cored, chopped apple, about 1 1/3 pounds whole apples (note: I grated my apples because I wanted them small, evenly sized)
• 1 cup diced toasted walnuts or pecans (note: I used pecans)

instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9″ x 13″ pan.
2. To make the cake: Mix all of the ingredients except the apples and nuts in a large bowl.
3. Beat until well combined; the mixture will be very stiff, and may even be crumbly.
4. Add the apples and nuts, and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the stiff mixture becomes a thick batter, somewhere between cookie dough and brownie batter in consistency.
5. Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with your wet fingers.
6. Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few wet crumbs clinging to it.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a rack to cool completely; don’t remove the cake from the pan.
8. Yield: about 2 dozen servings.

note:  King Arthur Flour has a great icing recipe to use with this cake, but I chose to use cream cheese frosting instead.  I’ll try their version next time.   

let me know if you make it.  have you been apple picking? 🍏

check out more apple recipes and FallFavs recipes