Cooking Cove: Fresh Spiced Apple Cake

Fall has not quite arrived until an apple cake has baked in my oven. After using various spiced apple cake recipes over the years, this is the one Adam and I agreed would be the keeper. It is moist and dense with the perfect amount of sweetness. There is an indulgent Browned Butter Frosting that accompanies this, however, my husband is a purest and prefers it naked.

If the frosting gets applied, I recommend using Granny Smith apples for balance the sweetness. If going without frosting either Fuji or Granny Smith work well in this cake.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1/2 cup melted butter

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 large Granny Smith or Fuji apples (peeled, sliced thin)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast pecans 5-7 minutes. Cool.



Stir butter plus next three ingredients in large bowl.

Combine flour and next three ingredients in small bowl.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir.

Fold in apples and pecans. The batter will be thick like brownie batter.

Spread into greased 9 x 13 dish. I like to use real butter to grease, yummy.

Browned Butter Frosting (which is amazing by the way):

1 cup of butter

16 oz powdered sugar

1/4 cup of milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook butter over medium heat (6-8 minutes) until golden. Cover and chill until solid. Beat butter until fluffy. Slowly add sugar and milk. Stir in vanilla.

Hope you try out this yummy autumnal treat. I took it in to the school and my co-workers enjoyed it too. I think the next thing on the baking line up is apple pie. Do you have any must-have fall baking goodies?