Apple

Sparkling Apple Snacking Cake

Name: Sparkling Apple Snacking Cake
Yield: Makes one 9 inch round cake
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large eggs, room temperature; 175 grams granulated sugar (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons); 2 tablespoons strong flavored honey; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 125 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup); 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; 4 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 cup); 1 medium tart apple; 4 teaspoons granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

by: Sam Woods

March 5, 2015

4.5

4 Ratings

Makes one 9 inch round cake

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

This apple cinnamon snacking cake was inspired by yet another winning Dorie Greenspan recipe, from her essential book "Baking: From My Home to Yours". The ratio of ingredients and the method are what makes the cake unique, as they result in an ultra dense and moist vanilla cake with a thin crackly top reminiscent of a tray of brownies.

Always a sucker for baked apple treats, I chose to adapt the original recipe to create a no-fuss cake filled with the flavours of honey, cinnamon, and one tart Ida Red. Simple, comforting, and so quick to put together that you can pull dessert from the oven just as your friends arrive, this cake makes it easy to impress.

Inspired by: Dorie Greenspan’s “Swedish Visiting Cake”, from Baking: From my Home to Yours —Sam Woods

What You'll Need

Ingredients

Cake
2 large eggs, room temperature
175 grams granulated sugar (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons strong flavored honey
¹/₄ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
125 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup)
¹/₄ teaspoon cinnamon
¹/₄ teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
1 medium tart apple

Topping
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
¹/₂ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan.
Melt the butter and let it cool slightly.
Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder.
Put the sugar in a medium bowl and whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Whisk in the honey, salt and vanilla extract.
Peel and shred the apple. Use your hands or a fine mesh strainer to gently squeeze out the excess water. Set aside briefly.
With a rubber spatula, stir the flour into the egg/sugar mixture until there are no longer any streaks remaining in the batter. Gently fold in the melted butter until smooth, then fold in the shredded apple, making sure it is evenly dispersed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Make the topping by combining the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it evenly over top of the cake.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 – 28 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the middle has a crackly, paper thin crust.
The cake may be served slightly warm, but it will also keep very well for several days in an airtight container at room temperature.

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7 Reviews

Lacey W. January 3, 2021

Great apple cake recipe. Lovely as written and easy to play around with. My favorite way to make it is with my youngest son, we increase the apple quantity and simply cube them with skins on, omit the honey (I'm allergic), and add lemon zest. This gives more of an apple forward experience and while the chunky apples inhibit the rise a little bit, it still delivers a perfect cake.

Indiakoster November 22, 2020

I made this this morning. I am going to start off by saying it was absolutely delicious and may not make it to the end of the day. Was really good with coffee. BUT I will say this. This is not a very apple forward cake. I made it looking for more
Apple flavor and there really Wasn’t any. I am not an expert baker so I don’t know how to incorporate more Apple flavor. But I will definitely make this again. Was super easy..made it at 6am with one eye closed.

Julie M. March 23, 2016

I am going to make this for my dad's birthday. Sounds easy and really delicious.

anka March 7, 2015

Sound easy and absolutely delicious, I have to try.

Sam W. March 10, 2015

Thank you, I hope it turns out nicely for you!

lapadia March 5, 2015

Sounds incredible, thanks for sharing your adaptation!