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By: Kristen Mider of Cooking with Friends

It’s beginning to feel like fall here. The leaves are starting to drop from the trees, the mornings are growing crisper, and the summer fruits and vegetables have given way to fall favorites. Corn, tomatoes, and peaches are being replaced by things like kale, beets, and apples. My kids love apples. They consume about 6 pounds of apples a week, and that doesn’t even include the apple sauce or apple muffins I make them. And, while most of the apple recipes that I cook and bake are healthy, I am also a fan of the occasional pie or cake. This apple cake recipe is a favorite.

This particular apple cake is a family favorite. It was passed along to me by mother in-law who got it from a friend, who won a prize for it at their local Apple Festival. I’ve adapted it a bit to suit my kids’ tastes– omitting clove and nuts (because my son is allergic), and adding vanilla to the cake mix. It results in a dense cake, packed with apples. It comes together quickly and easily, and the final flourish of the cider glaze on top takes the cake to another level. I like to make some vanilla whipped cream to dollop on top.

Whether you’re looking for a crowd pleasing meal for a fall family gathering or you just need a new recipe to use up all of the apples your kids picked, you can’t go wrong with this cake. I like to make it on the weekend, early in the day because the vanilla and cinnamon smell drifts through the house. And really, it’s a pretty lovely way to kick off a fall weekend– a cup of coffee in hand, a kid or two helping to make the cake (and lick the spoons!), and the smells of autumn filling your house. Make the cake in the morning and the cider glaze just before serving, and you’ll have a delicious dessert to end a fall day!

Apple Cake Recipe

What You’ll Need:

1 1/2 cup of oil
2 cups of white sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups of white flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup of walnuts (optional!)
3 1/4 cup of diced apples, skin removed (I use Molly Delicious)
3 tablespoons of Apple Jack Brandy (the alcohol content will cook off in the oven)

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a bundt pan
Beat oil, sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
In a separate large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (except the whole flour).
Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Once they are well incorporated, add in the whole wheat flour.
Mix in Apple Jack Brandy, the diced apples and the walnuts, if using.
Bake in oven for about one hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick emerges clean.

Apple Cake Cider Drizzle:

What You’ll Need:

2 tablespoons of heavy cream
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
6 tablespoons of white sugar
3 tablespoons of Apple Jack Brandy (again, the alocohol will be cooked off!)
4 tablespoons of apple cider
2 tablespoons of orange juice

What To Do:

Melt butter then stir on both sugars.
Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing well and bringing the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Drizzle all over cake.