Our readers may remember this delectable Honey Apple Cake from our culinary mystery Honey Roasted. Our amateur sleuth, Clare Cosi, serves it up in her landmark Greenwich Village coffeehouse while investigating an especially sticky crime in her neighborhood. It is...
🍎 A honey of a recipe...
 |
Cleo Coyle writes two bestselling mystery series with her husband. To learn more, click here. |
The cake batter is spread across the pan and topped with spiced, shredded apple, then drizzled with honey before baking. Out of the oven, the golden canvas of tender baked cake carries the crowning caramelized sweetness of honey-kissed fruit.
Enjoy this cake as an after-dinner dessert, on your coffee break, or (as our amateur sleuth Clare did in Honey Roasted) a way-past midnight snack! As far as honey, use a good-quality raw honey for amazing flavor. And the best apple for this recipe is Golden Delicious, not to be confused with Red Delicious. Golden Delicious apples are slightly sweet and buttery and an excellent apple for baking.
Enjoy this cake as an after-dinner dessert, on your coffee break, or (as our amateur sleuth Clare did in Honey Roasted) a way-past midnight snack! As far as honey, use a good-quality raw honey for amazing flavor. And the best apple for this recipe is Golden Delicious, not to be confused with Red Delicious. Golden Delicious apples are slightly sweet and buttery and an excellent apple for baking.
Happy New Year to all those celebrating this week. And may everyone...
Eat with joy!
~ Cleo
Ingredients:
3 medium apples, peeled (See my note below on type of apple)
1/4 cup honey (For outstanding flavor, I use raw honey)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (do not use fresh)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
🍎 Note on Apple Type: I like Golden Delicious for this cake—not to be confused with Red Delicious. Golden Delicious apples are slightly sweet and buttery and a very nice apple for baking. To see more reviews of apples for baking, click here to read a helpful post from Huffpost.
Put the shredded apples in a saucepan and toss well with honey, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Cook and gently stir over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes. This pre-cooking will evaporate the excess moisture from the apples and soften and caramelize them for great flavor. When finished cooking, most (but not all) of the visible liquid should be gone from the pan; remove from heat and set aside, allowing the apple mixture to cool while you create the cake batter.
Step 3 – Mix batter with one-bowl mixing method: Whisk eggs in your mixing bowl until slightly frothy. Add brown and white sugars, oil, salt, and baking powder, and whisk until well blended. Sift the flour into the bowl. Stir only enough until a smooth batter forms; do not over-mix or you will develop the gluten in the flour and your cake will be tough instead of tender. Batter will be loose.
Step 4 – Pour batter and top with apples and honey: Pour the loose batter into your prepared sheet pan and gently tilt the pan back and forth until the batter coats the bottom of the pan in an even layer.
Use the fork’s prongs to separate these mounds and continue to spread the topping into an even layer across the batter.
Drizzle the final 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey over the cake top. (If using raw honey, warm it a bit for drizzling consistency.)
Eat with joy!
~ Cleo
To download this recipe in a
PDF document that you can print,
save, or share, click here or
on the image below...
🍏 Cleo Coyle's
Honey Apple Cake
Dairy-Free (no milk, no butter)
3 medium apples, peeled (See my note below on type of apple)
1/4 cup honey (For outstanding flavor, I use raw honey)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (do not use fresh)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
Step 1 - Prep pan: Fit a 9 x 13-inch pan with a parchment paper sling (see my photo below). The excess paper that hangs over the sides will act as handles and allow you to lift the cooled cake onto a serving platter. (Tip: I like to spray the pan lightly with non-stick spray first to help the paper to stick better to the pan’s bottom and sides.) The sides without paper should be sprayed with non-stick spray also.
Step 2 – Make the honey-apple topping: Shred the peeled apples with a boxed grater or food processor.
Step 1 - Prep pan: Fit a 9 x 13-inch pan with a parchment paper sling (see my photo below). The excess paper that hangs over the sides will act as handles and allow you to lift the cooled cake onto a serving platter. (Tip: I like to spray the pan lightly with non-stick spray first to help the paper to stick better to the pan’s bottom and sides.) The sides without paper should be sprayed with non-stick spray also.
Step 2 – Make the honey-apple topping: Shred the peeled apples with a boxed grater or food processor.
Using a fork, gently pick up the shredded, cooked apple topping, leaving behind any visible liquid, and drop the apples in small mounds across the batter in the pan.
Drizzle the final 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey over the cake top. (If using raw honey, warm it a bit for drizzling consistency.)
Step 5 – Bake: Bake in a well-pre-heated oven at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes. The time will depend on your oven. Cake is done when the batter has turned golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out free of batter. (Tip: The cake center will take a bit longer to cook than the outside edges, but take care that your cake’s edges do not over-cook.)
Serve: Cool the cake in the pan. Gently run a knife between the cake and the pan sides that are not covered with parchment paper (to loosen the cake and prevent sticking); and then use the parchment paper “handles” to gently lift the cake onto a cutting board or serving platter and slice into squares.
This cake is delicious on its own or with dairy-free whipped cream (made from coconut milk). If you’d like that easy recipe for making whipped cream (without milk or cream), click here to download a free PDF (give a few moments to load).
Serve: Cool the cake in the pan. Gently run a knife between the cake and the pan sides that are not covered with parchment paper (to loosen the cake and prevent sticking); and then use the parchment paper “handles” to gently lift the cake onto a cutting board or serving platter and slice into squares.
🍎
Eat (and Read) with Joy!