Apple Date and Pecan Cake

Here is a super moist and delicious apple cake which I've adapted from one of my favorite Scandinavian bakers, Beatrice Ojakangas.  Chock full of apples, dates and nuts, it's what you can't see that may surprise you...coffee, cocoa and cardamom!  Three delightful additions that make this cake extra special and quite Scandinavian :)  It's perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or tea in the afternoon.    

I was recently gifted a bag of apples from a friend.  From a local farm, she had more than she could use so offered some of them to me.  Beauties!    

This cake was so moist, I had trouble keeping it dusted with powdered sugar :)  Next time I make it, I will reduce the amount of apples and dates slightly and I've made note of that in the recipe.

It has lasted several days in the frig and freezes beautifully.

If you love the combination of apples, dates and pecans, I hope you give this recipe a try.  I thought it was one of the most delicious apple cakes I've baked!

The leaves are falling and the temperatures are cooling.  It's a great time of year to visit a local apple farm and buy or pick apples!  Our farmers' market had a wonderful variety too.

Apple Date and Pecan Cake

Printable Recipe

Serves 10-12

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons unsweetened dark cocoa
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cold, strong coffee
4 cups tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (next time I will use only 3 cups)
1 cup chopped, pitted dates (next time I will use only 3/4 cup)
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch bundt pan or 13 x 9-inch baking pan.  I sprayed my bundt pan with Bakers Joy.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter until smooth. I used a stand mixer on medium speed.  Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy.

Stir the cocoa, cardamom, cinnamon, and soda into the flour and blend until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture along with vanilla and coffee. Beat until batter is very smooth. Stir in the apples, dates, and nuts until evenly blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes for a bundt pan or 35 to 40 minutes for a 13 x 9-inch pan - or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the tube cake for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Cool the rectangular cake completely in its pan on a wire rack.  Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Apple Cranberry Almond Streusel Cake

I'm still working on satisfying my autumn cravings!  After seeing this cake on Pinterest recently, I was taken by the creamy texture of this coffee cake dotted with bright red cranberries.  

When I found the recipe and read the list of ingredients there weren't even any almonds in it!  Just a tiny bit of almond extract.  So, I made a few changes and added some chopped almonds to the streusel topping and also added some chopped apples to the cranberries in the filling.

The result was a wonderfully delicious fall dessert - perfect for snacking on any time of day! Actually, I've been snacking on it for several days so I know it keeps well covered and refrigerated.

If you don't like cranberries (growing up in Wisconsin, it's in your DNA), you could substitute reconstituted dried cherries.  I like to reconstitute dried cherries in a little Kirsch liqueur but Triple Sec or Grand Marnier would also make good reconstituting liquids as well as plain orange juice.

A little sprinkle of powdered sugar, slice and enjoy!  The generous amount of sour cream in this recipe creates a moist, almost creamy texture.  I found I had to bake it slightly longer. This would make a delicious dessert for a holiday brunch! 

As October draws to a close, we are surrounded by a sea of yellow, which means that soon the trees will be bare. I can't complain, it's been a beautiful October - one of the nicest I can remember. 

 

Cranberry Apple Almond-Streusel Cake

Printable Recipe

Serves 12 or More

Note: I used a 9-inch spring-form pan with 3" sides. You could also use a 10" spring-form pan with 2" sides.

Cake:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half white whole-wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cups sour cream
2 cups fresh cranberries, rinse and dried
1 cup (1 large) apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon flour

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped almonds (I used slivered almonds and chopped them coarsely)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the pan or spray with Baking Spray such as Bakers Joy

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder (be sure it's fresh). Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Add the extracts and sour cream and mix together. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

In a small bowl, toss the cranberries and apple chunks and toss with the sugar and flour. Fold the fruit into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

To make the streusel, place all ingredients into a medium bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers or pastry cutter until everything is blended and crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter in the pan and level with your fingers.

Bake the cake until golden brown, approximately 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick insert in the center comes out clean. Note: My cake took slightly longer because I used a deeper pan. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 30 minutes and remove the side of the spring-form pan.

Apple Cake with Toffee and Caramelized Apples

If you are more of a cake person than a pie person, this could be the perfect Thanksgiving dessert for you.  I tested this recipe on my family this past weekend and there was already talk of messing with tradition this year.  Heresy, I know, but understandable after you taste this cake.

The apple cake is first baked then drizzled with a toffee glaze while still warm.  Toothpick holes poked in the cake help the glaze sink deep into the cake and flavor it with warm, toffee-flavored goodness creating a toffee 'crust' on the bottom when it cools.

If that doesn't sound delicious enough, the cake is served with warm toffee sauce, caramelized apples and vanilla ice cream. Exclamation point. 

This is one delicious cake! 

Since National Bundt Day is coming on November 15th , I baked the cake in one of my traditional Bundt pans rather than the spring form pan with tube center stated in the recipe.  It worked perfectly. 

Apple Cake with Toffee and Caramelized Apples

Adapted from Food and Wine

Printable Recipe

Note:  I  reduced the original 2 cups of sugar in the cake to 1-1/2 cups and think it could even be reduced to 1 or 1-1/4 cup since the cake was still fairly sweet.

SERVINGS: 10 to 12

(See Do-Ahead Instructions at the End)

For the Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (I used Safflower Oil)
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 large or 3 small Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and diced into ½” pieces)

For the Toffee Glaze:

1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Toffee Serving Sauce:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon brandy

For the Caramelized Apples:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 large Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and sliced into 8 wedges)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons water

Serve with vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Butter and flour a traditional Bundt pan (I sprayed with Baker's Joy instead).

Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the oil and granulated sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending thoroughly. Then, add the dry ingredients about a cup at a time and blend until smooth. Fold in the diced apples with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. (My cake only took 1 hour). Let cool slightly.

While the cake is cooling slightly, combine the butter, cream and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat while stirring. Remove the toffee glaze from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Place the warm cake (still in its pan) on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the hot glaze over the cake and let it seep into the cake, poking gently with a toothpick (I also tiled the pan from side to side). Then, allow the cake to cool completely, about 2-1/2 hours. Invert the cake onto a serving platter.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over high heat while stirring. After the sauce is boiling, use a moistened pastry brush and wash down any sugar crystals on the side of the pan. The, cook without stirring until a medium-amber caramel forms.  This will take about 5-7 minutes so watch carefully so that it does not burn. Remove from the heat and quickly but very carefully stir in the cream and butter (the sauce will bubble up). Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the brandy. Allow to cool slightly and pour the toffee sauce into a pitcher.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and the brown sugar. Add the apples and cinnamon and cook over moderately high heat, turning the apples once or twice, until they are tender and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the water to dissolve the caramel in the skillet, then transfer the caramelized apples to a plate.

Slice the cake and serve with the caramelized apples, toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Do Ahead:

The unmolded cake can be stored overnight at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap or foil. The toffee sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week and gently reheated before serving. The apples can be made 3 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.

Apple & Spice 'Anytime' Cake

When Joanne Chang's new cookbook Flour came onto my radar recently, I immediately requested a copy from my public library (as I often do before buying). I had to wait 3 weeks to get a copy! Now I know why - it's a wonderful book full of delicious recipes from her Flour Bakery and Café in Boston.  I'm sure I will be owning a copy of this terrific book soon.

I don't often make desserts unless we're having company for dinner or we're invited for dinner and I offer to bring the dessert. After leafing through the book, the recipe for Apple Snacking Spice Cake first attracted my attention. This was a cake that could be eaten any time of day and not just for dessert...with tea in the afternoon or even for breakfast (I've already done both)! 

When the cake comes out of the oven, it has a beautiful texture that looks like craters on the moon!

Other than tasting fantastic, the another great thing about this cake is that it freezes beautifully.  Since my husband and I are empty-nesters, I froze more than half of the cake in sections to savor slowly.  My husband loved it and keeps asking for more! 

The only changes I made were to omit the raisins since my husband doesn't care for them and, also, I used half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour instead of all AP flour. The next time I made this cake I'm going to try adding some dates!

Apple and Spice 'Anytime' Cake
Adapted from Flour by Joanne Chang
Printable Recipe

Makes one 10-inch round cake

1/2 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour (original recipe calls for 1 cup AP flour and no WW flour)
1/2 cup (140 grams) whole wheat flour (my addition - I use King Arthur White Whole Wheat)
3/4 cup (90 grams) cake flour (such as Pillsbury Softasilk)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1½ sticks, 170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
4 cups (450 grams) peeled, cored and chopped apples
1/2 cup (80 grams) raisins (I omit because my husband doesn’t like raisins)
1 cup (100 grams) pecan halves, toasted and chopped
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (I also omit)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan. I used a 10-inch springform pan which was deep enough and made releasing the cake easy.

Sift the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves together into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the granulated sugar and softened butter to the bowl and, using the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about one minute until the butter is fully incorporated into the dry ingredients, stopping the mixer several times to scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl to make sure all the butter is mixed in. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed for 10 to 15 seconds, or until fully incorporated. Then turn the mixer to medium high speed and beat for about 1 minute, or until the batter is light and fluffy.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the apples, raisins (if using) and pecans. The batter will be very stiff and thick. It will look like too many apples and not enough batter, but that’s okay. Scrape all of the batter into the prepared pan, then spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes (mine was done about 5 minutes sooner), or until the cake feels firm when you press it in the center and the top is dark golden brown. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

When cool, release the side of the spring-form pan and invert the cake onto a large baking pan, lifting away the bottom, using a long flat knife to separate the bottom from the cake, if necessary. Then invert the cake again onto a serving plate so it is right-side up. Slice and plate, the dust the slices with confectioners’ sugar (I felt the cake was sweet enough without the powdered sugar).

The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, it can be well wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to two weeks; thaw overnight at room temperature for serving.