Apple cake

In the spirit of not being totally predictable, I decided to use the rest of my apples from apple picking to make an apple cake. Normally, my move is to do a batch of apple butter and an apple crisp. For whatever reason, a cake sounded better this season.

I couldn’t quite find what I was looking for though, so I merged a couple of recipes and used my judgement. The end result is a dense, moist, spiced cake with a sweet undertone. It’s fulfilling and hearty, and it could be eaten for breakfast if you’re into that.

• Elements from Claire Saffitz’s Apple Crumb Cake from Dessert Person, but simplified with less steps

• Base recipe from the Sweetest Menu’s Cinnamon Apple Cake, but way more apples, apple butter and no end drizzle

What you need

• 1 - 6 apples, peeled/cored/sliced and chopped

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 2 TSP baking powder

• 1/2 TSP baking soda

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 TSP ground cloves

• 1/2 TSP ground nutmeg

• 1/2 TSP ground cinnamon

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup neutral oil

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

• 1/2 cup apple butter

• 1 TSP vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 TSP ground cinnamon

• 1 TBS melted butter

How to make it

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8-inch round cake pan with butter.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and spices in a large bowl. Fold in the apples — you can use as little as 1 large apple, or as many as 6, just see the note below on baking time.

3. Whisk the eggs, oil, Greek yogurt, apple butter and vanilla together. Stir this into the dry ingredients and stir until combined (but don’t over mix and don’t use a mixer).

4. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Crumble on top of the cake.

5. Bake until the cake is fully cooked through and browned on top. Cook time will vary depending on the amount of apples — 30ish minutes for less, up to an hour if you use a lot. Keep checking the middle and if it starts to get too brown, cover the cake in foil and keep baking.

6. Let cool in the pan a bit before cutting and serving, but don’t be afraid to eat while warm.

Note: I used a large quantity of apples, which meant the baking time increased. One thing I wish I had done was pre-cook the apples in butter like Claire’s cake recommends. It’s not essential, but it does let them get super soft which is nice.