It’s our favorite time of year, for there seem to be so many things to celebrate: the kids are back at school, the mornings are perfectly crisp, and the holiday season draws ever nearer. For many, next week represents the start of the new year: Rosh Hashanah. We made a traditional apple cake to celebrate, using Zestars from one of our all-time favorite purveyors: Ames farm, based in Watertown, MN. This cake comes together easily using pantry ingredients, and highlights the beautiful fall apples. Whether you're celebrating the New Year, or just a Sunday night, we hope you'll find time to enjoy this deliciously simple recipe.
Ingredients:
4 large apples (we used Zestars)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (to prevent apples from browning as you cut)
2 tablespoons margarine (or butter)
1-2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons demerara sugar (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or springform, or an 8X8-inch square pan.
Peel, core, and cut the apples into 12-14 slices each. Drizzle with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, and apples. Sauté for 10 minutes until softened.
While the apples are cooking, mix all of your other ingredients in a large bowl (except the demerara sugar). The batter will be pretty thick.
Add half of your cooked apples (including juice) to your batter and gently mix.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth with a spatula.
Top with the rest of the apples, and sprinkle Demerara sugar all over the top (optional)
Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Let cool completely. Enjoy!