Tuesday, September 27, 2022

HONEY APPLE CAKE #DairyFree from Author @CleoCoyle #RoshHashanah


Our readers may remember this delectable Honey Apple Cake from our latest 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.

BTW, we are now writing the 20th entry in our Coffeehouse Mystery series to be released next fall. In the meantime, don't miss The Ghost and the Stolen Tears, the brand-new entry in our Haunted Bookshop series, releasing next week!



🍎  As for today's recipe...



   
Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery
 series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

☕ A Note from Cleo 

Apples and honey are a traditional treat for Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing hope for a sweet new year, and this dairy-free sheet cake is a superb showcase for that happy pairing. 

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. 

Happy New Year to all those celebrating this week. And may everyone...

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)

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. 

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.


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.


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.




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.)



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).








Eat (and read) with joy!


New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries and
Haunted Bookshop Mysteries



Cleo (Alice) with her husband Marc

Visit Cleo's online coffeehouse here.
And follow her at these links...







"TERRIFIC SERIES"

~ Criminal Element



      

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"These books are a WONDERFUL blend
of cozy and noir, with great characters
and well-plotted mysteries full of
twists and turns."

~ Kings River Life Magazine


   


And Our Latest
Coffeehouse Mystery
Now on Sale!

Cleo Coyle’s Honey Roasted
is not only a coffee lover's mystery. 
It's a culinary mystery with a tempting 
menu of delicious recipes!


Click here or on the image (above)
for Cleo Coyle's Free Recipe Guide
to HONEY ROASTED


The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling works
of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark 
Greenwich Village coffeehouse.  


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Cleo Coyle's 19 Books in Order,
click here 
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16 comments:

  1. If there's an apple dessert on a menu, that's what I choose. Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A great time of year for apple desserts, MaryAnn, thanks for dropping into the Kitchen today. Cheers!

      ~ Cleo
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  2. Apples are everywhere. My son brought a bushel home and now I know what I can do with some of them. Thanks, Cleo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Danni -- Your son is a sweetheart, bringing you a bushel of apples. This is the perfect season for apple picking (and eating). I hope you and your son enjoy today's recipe and the bounty of fall flavors.

      ~ Cleo
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  3. What a scrumptious recipe and lovely photos, too. Thank you for this, Cleo. I am a real fan of Jack Shepard. Say hello for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Raisa, and our ghost Jack Shepard thanks you too! Marc and I are glad to know you're enjoying Jack's sleuthing adventures (with bookseller Penny) in our Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. Cheers and we hope you enjoy today's recipe, and THE GHOST AND THE STOLEN TEARS!

      ~ Cleo
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  4. I love the dairy free whipped cream. I have no problem with dairy but I LOVE coconut and will give this a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Joan - I'm not lactose intolerant, either, but I have friends who are, and I try to share dairy-free recipes when I can. The coconut whipped cream is delicious and the PDF includes a bonus recipe. Take note of my tips in the recipe. Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk and watch what brand you use. Two brands worked well for me and one did not, so your mileage may vary. Cheers for stopping by the Kitchen!

      ~ Cleo
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  5. My husband loves apple anything so I will surprise him with this dessert tonight. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. FYI: Keep up the great work. I can't wait for my Ghost and the Stolen Tears to be delivered@

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sally! And thanks especially for pre-ordering THE GHOST AND THE STOLEN TEARS. Marc and I (and Jack and Pen) hope you enjoy our brand-new Haunted Bookshop adventure. xoxo

      ~ Cleo
      Sign up for Cleo’s free Newsletter

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      HauntedBookshopMystery.com
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      Delete
    2. Hi, Sally -- I hope you and your husband enjoy the HONEY APPLE CAKE, and you are very welcome for the recipe. Sending thanks to YOU for pre-ordering THE GHOST AND THE STOLEN TEARS. So glad to know you're excited about a return trip to Jack and Pen's world.

      ~ Cleo

      Delete
  6. Thanks for this recipe -- sounds wonderful! I'm thinking that adding some chopped walnuts to the apples might be good, too. Looking forward to your new book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers, Tanya, Marc and I appreicate the reader love on our new mystery, and nice idea on the walnuts. Take care and enjoy the bounty of the fall season. xoxo

      ~ Cleo
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  7. Always liked apple desserts, especially Golden Delicious, my favorite. Thanks for the easy to follow recipe. Always liked your writing & Coffee House Mystery. Hallmark Mysteries is releasing some of their new Mystery series, since they have lost some of their stars. Perhaps, you could consider, developing a Coffee House Mystery series with Hallmark Mystery Channel. I have no idea which actress would play the main role?!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful recipe! I love apple deserts. My favorite Apple Pie was the pie from Bobo's in Topeka. They had the grandmothers out in a pie bakery and those pies are the stuff of dreams.

    ReplyDelete
  9. A little late. On vacation.
    This looks like a great alternative apple cake.

    ReplyDelete