Autumn baking is upon us, and this simple apple buttermilk cake recipe is perfect for the quintessential aroma and flavor one expects from an autumn bake. Whether you’re hand-picking, visiting a local farmers’ market or the local produce aisle at the supermarket – the apple harvest has arrived.
Today, I’m sharing an adapted version of Pinch of Yum’s cinnamon sugar apple cake by including cardamom and nutmeg for nuanced aromatics, a generous splash of vanilla, extra virgin olive oil, and we’ll slice the apples paper-thin so they nearly melt into the batter, creating an incredibly tender cake.
Apples & More Apples
From sweet to savory, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy apples this season. We’ve rounded-up our favorite apple recipes on Chasing the Seasons to share with you below.
Take a peek and bookmark or Pin what you like now, so you can be sure to find them later.
Apple recipe roundup
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Equipment
- 8×11 or 9×13 baking dish
- Mandolin slicer
Ingredients
- butter for greasing the baking dish
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup buttermilk substitute with 1 cup whole milk and 1 tbsp cider vinegar, stir and set aside. See Notes.
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 medium to large Honey Crisp apples, peeled and finely sliced on lowest mandolin setting, then rough chopped See Notes
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F (163 °C)
- Grease an 8×11 baking dish. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add the brown sugar, oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix the baking soda, flour, cardamom and nutmeg together and add to the mixing bowl. Whisk until the ingredients come together. Note that leaving it a little lumpy will make it fluffier and less dense, so combine well enough to not have threads of white flour, just don't overmix.
- Gently fold in the apples with a baking spatula until well and evenly coated, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour into the baking dish.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- In a medium bowl, add the sugar and cinnamon and stir to mix. Add the melted butter and using a fork, combine the ingredients until it resembles coarse sand. Add the topping to the batter as evenly as possible, using the fork or the back of a spoon to help spread it out.
- Bake 40 minutes to 1 hour – this will depend on the apples and the moisture in the batter, so check at the 40 minute mark and use your judgment. To test for doneness stick a toothpick, or a knife, into the center of the batter – it should come out with a scant amount of batter on it – it shouldn't come out entirely clean or overly wet for best results.
- Let it cool a bit before serving, about 30 minutes or longer. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
adapted from Pinch of Yum
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