An Abundance of Apples = Apple Cake!

 

We're still working our way through those 30 pounds of free apples, so I thought I would use up a couple of them by  making some apple cake for our little Superbowl party today.  Trust me...this cake is so yummy and moist that it won't last until the halftime show. And it's a great way to use up some apples that are past their peak of freshness.

Apple Cake (A La Cranky Puppy)

Ingredients:

Cake
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup oil (substitute of 1/2 applesauce to make this healthier)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups finely chopped apples (about 4 medium-sized apples)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup milk (or apple or orange juice)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Glaze topping
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup whipping cream

Directions:

Cake

1. In a large bowl: combine the flour, sugar, soda, and salt.
2. In a medium bowl: combine eggs, oil, applesauce, milk, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon.
3. Chop the apples and nuts. I like to rough chop the apples and then pulse them in the food processor to make this step easier.  Stir them into the egg mixture.
4. Add the egg mixture to dry ingredients, just until moistened. 
5. Spread the batter in a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes.

Glaze topping

1. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and cream.
2. Cook and stir till bubbly and all of the sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly. Drizzle warm sauce over cake, when it has cooled for 5 minutes, so it can seep into the cake, keeping it moist.

This cake is so moist that it doesn't really need the glaze topping.  You can bake this as cupcakes or in two 9" round pans as well and it's equally as good.  I didn't have any whipping cream this time, so I substituted what I did have (Reddi-Whip) and it came out perfectly.

So next time you've got some apples that are a little past their prime, don't throw them out.  I hope you'll try this recipe.  Enjoy!

I'm sharing this recipe with this week's Homestead Barn Hop, Down Home Blog Hop and Clever Chicks Barn Hop.  Go check them out!