Cakes and Cheesecakes

Apple Spice Cake

After an unusually hot summer, fall is approaching and so is cooler weather, beckoning me to the kitchen.  I can’t wait to be done with gardening and yard duty and get back to what I truly love to do, BAKE.  September is all about apples.  There are so many varieties of apples, but for baking, I rely on the old standby, Granny Smith apples.  This cake tends to be a bit sweet and the tartness of Granny Smith apples lends the perfect balance.

The cake can be baked in a 9×13” cake pan, my Mom’s favorite way, and cut into squares.  Great for large family gatherings and potlucks.  Or bake it in a round cake pan for a more elegant presentation.    

This cake is a symphony of fall flavors: sweet cake, fragrant spices, and tangy apples.  Comforting, homey, everything I love about fall.  

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Apple Spice Cake

An old fashioned, comforting cake adapted from my Mom’s Apple Cake recipe. An easy recipe, no mixer needed, that fills the house with the most delicious aromas of apple and spice. This moist, flavorful cake holds well. It can be baked in a 9×13” pan to serve a crowd.
Author Rosalie D’Amico

Ingredients

The Cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup toasted and chopped pecans
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Grated zest of one large lemon
  • 3 cups peeled and finely diced apples (about 2 large apples)

The Glaze

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons cream
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

The Cake

  • Grease and flour a 9×13” cake pan or a round, 10” cake pan or a 10” springform pan (a 9” pan is too small). If using a round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • Preheat the oven to 325° convection.
  • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, spices, salt, and pecans and mix together well. I like to use a whisk.
  • In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and lemon zest together until well mixed.
  • Peel and dice the apples. See the recipe note on chopping the apples in the food processor. Add the apples to the wet ingredients and stir together. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.
  • Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes. (The 9×13” pan should take less time than the round). A toothpick should test clean. If you baked the cake in a cake pan or springform pan, let it cool about 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.

The Glaze

  • Combine butter, cream, and sugars. Heat until the butter is melted.
  • Bring to a low boil and boil for one minute. Stir in vanilla.
  • Cool the glaze for about 5 minutes before spreading over the cool cake.

Notes

You can carefully chop the apples in the food processor. Don’t put too many apples in the work bowl at a time and pulse until the apples are small diced. Not too small, not too big.