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Serves a Crowd

Apple Pie Pumpkin Cake

by:
September 24, 2009
5
4 Ratings
  • Serves 8 to 10
Author Notes

Is it a pie? Is it a cake? The answer is both. It's also a celebration of fall's bounty and family. Now that my mother-in-law's almost 80, I've taken on the role of hosting the Jewish holidays (not a small task for a gal raised Italian-Catholic). Apples and honey are two foods used to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. On the Jewish New Year apple slices are traditionally dipped in honey after a blessing is said for wishes of a sweet new year. —Jennifer Perillo

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Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup butter, divided
  • 4 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup raisins, steeped in boiling water & well drained
Directions
  1. Butter and flour a 9-inch, 3-inch-deep springform pan. Heat oven to 350F. Dice 1/2 cup of butter, and let it come to room temperature.
  2. In a large sauté pan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of the butter, then sauté the apples over medium-high heat until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Stir the honey and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon into the apples and cook until the liquids are thick and bubbly.
  3. In a stand mixer, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and the remaining spices and mix. Toss in the diced butter and mix until the butter is broken into pea-sized pieces. Reserve 2/3 cup of the mixture for the streusel topping. Add the baking soda to the mixing bowl and mix; then add the pumpkin, sour cream, and eggs, beating until smooth. Stir in the raisins. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
  4. Spread the sautéed apples over the batter, then sprinkle the streusel on top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with no batter clinging to it. May be served warm or cooled to room temperature. Best served the same day.
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Jennifer Perillo is the Consulting Food Editor at Working Mother magazine, and a regular a contributor to Relish Magazine and FoodNetwork.com. She shares stories about food, family and life at her blog In Jennie's Kitchen and in her debut cookbook, Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie's Kitchen (Running Press 2013).

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11 Reviews

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Amy A. September 28, 2021
This looks amazing and I can't wait to try. Thank you, for posting.
Hiromi M. October 16, 2016
I have a vegan guest, so I am trying to make this vegan by using vegan butter and more pumpkin puree instead of using sour cream based on Dopo Cena's review. I hope it will turn out great since I will be making this for our Halloween party... Or I will be running to a bakery!
Dopo C. October 14, 2015
I made this yesterday and it is a delicious cakey pie. I would make it again if I wanted an apple spice cake. I followed the recipe exactly but substituted maple syrup for the honey. The cake does not have a lot of pumpkin flavor which I was disappointed in because I really wanted a pumpkin cake. Maybe it could be better if more pumpkin was used and less sour cream ? I will have to experiment.
felony October 4, 2011
As a chef of 23 years, I am all too aware of how few recipes there are that are truly original - most of my backlist and innovations have blessedly come to me via inspiration from books, magazines, eating out and, more recently, online. It saddens me that bakinggirl felt that she had to be so snippy in her comment on this recipe, and especially as she does not seem to have contributed any recipes of her own (wherever she may have found inspiration for them from). Good manners and common sense are imperative when commenting online, but seem to be lacking sorely in this case.
Anyhow, I am looking forward to trying this one out myself, and in all likelihood - tweaking it to my tastes.
Which in itself is an inherent compliment to all the original recipes that came before it!
Many thanks Jennifer :)
maryw.s. November 11, 2010
I made this recipe because we had a bunch of canned pumpkin in the house. It is really delicious, everyone in the house loved it. My mother-in-law came for dinner that night, and she also loved it. I will possibly make it and bring it to my brother's for Thanksgiving, it's a nice change from pie and still related.
Food52 September 29, 2009
We appreciate, and encourage, the discussion of the history of the recipes on the site. Where a recipe comes from, and how it comes to be, is often as interesting as the recipe itself. It is quite common that Aunt Dolly's Best Cake is really from Joy of Cooking, and you just don't know it, which is why we want to promote the conversation around recipes and their evolution. It's never a bad thing to include any known source information.

That said, if any user sees a recipe that seems to be plagiarized, we have a built in feature (on the left hand tool bar) called "Flag This Recipe." By clicking this button, you alert us of a potential problem, and allow us to take care of it. We'd like to avoid public accusations.
Jennifer P. September 28, 2009
This was a very difficult comment to write. While it seemed best to take the high road against such a cruel-intentioned comment from bakinggirl, I felt an obligation to post a reply for the people who have been so supportive of my recipes and work.

I've noted below the differences in my recipe compared to Robin Asbel's:

1. I used honey instead of sugar in the topping

2. I used all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat (which also means adjusting the proportions since they work differently)

3. Decreased the amount of brown sugar (original recipe was actually 1 cup)

4. created my own blend of spices (using allspice, ginger and nutmeg) instead of using pumpkin pie spice

5. There is also double the amount of cinnamon in my recipe.

6. I added raisins to the batter.

While the recipe was inspired by Robin Asbel's, it was created as a gift to my mother-in-law. An acknowledgement of the life and connection we share with her son and the history her grandchildren will inherit. I would suggest actually reading a recipe, and doing your homework before posting such harmful, and downright cruel accusations.

Kelsey B. September 25, 2009
Mmm, I love the idea of pumpkin and apple in one bite - what a delicious looking cake!
bakinggirl September 25, 2009
You've copied the wording very closely from the original of this recipe in Robin Asbell's book (Apple Struesel-Topped Pumpkin Cake in the New Whole Grain Cookbook).
cobblehill September 25, 2009
Hey, passive aggressive bakinggirl- I bet I could find a similar example example for every recipe you call your own. What an arrogant and insecure comment you made. There are enough differences in the recipe to refrain from such wild accusations. I bet you make a great nutbar.
SavorySweetLife September 24, 2009
Apple Pie Pumpkin cake sounds awesome and would be a perfect way to celebrate Fall!