– For this little birthday, as apple cake recipe that takes 15 minutes to prepare. –
Guess what? My 8th year blog birthday just passed! That’s right — back on February 4, 2006, I wrote my very first post, about vegan cupcakes. The photo is ridiculous and I didn’t even include a recipe. Wow, things have sure changed.
For one thing, this website was called “Wasabimon” back then, a weird nickname I’d picked up on BattleNet, an online gaming community. (Long story… I eventually became “NachoBiznatch” after that – another long story.) For years people thought I was either concentrating on Japanese food or a mommy blogger writing under the name “WasabiMom.” Neither was true, and for a long time I was actually posting gluten-free baking recipes while I tried to figure out some health stuff. To quell the confusion and give myself more flexibility, a few year later I changed the name to The Culinary Life in 2009.
I started this blog because friends were always asking me to share recipes, and it’s grown into so much more than that now. Soon I’m launching a new site that is currently under development, and it’s going to be a whole new world of food and cooking where I take folks of all skill levels and turn them into kitchen ninjas. I can’t wait to share it with you, but it’s not quite ready yet. For now, I’ve got a lovely apple cake recipe for you. Because what’s a birthday without a birthday cake?
This brilliantly simple cinnamon apple cake has become one of my favorite cake recipes ever. Originally published on Food52, the article talked about how forgiving this apple cake recipe is—and they’re right! I’ve swapped out any number of ingredients for something else and even cut the amount of sugar almost in half, and the resulting cake is still gorgeously delicious with a soft, tender crumb.
In my version, I wanted to go a little healthier, at least as far as a cake can be called “healthy.” I’ve replaced half the all purpose flour with whole-grain spelt flour and significantly reduced the amount of sugar — I mean, come on… let’s cut back a little on the white powders, shall we? I also replaced every bit of fat in this dish with sour cream, because I love the luxurious texture and gently tart flavor. I also decided to use a variety of spices because that’s just how I roll in the wintertime. And at the last minute (and totally on a whim), I swapped out walnuts for crispier sliced almond.
This cake is sweet but not cloyingly so, with a lovely texture of apples and almonds that makes for a really superb brunch or after dinner cake experience. A pinch of cayenne adds a little something-something without taking it over the top—guests will wonder, what’s your secret? And you can just smile, sigh, and take another bite.
With that, I’m off to celebrate this big day with a huge pile of blueberry pecan pancakes.
In case you’re wondering, you can buy this gorgeous bundt pan here, though any heavy, 10 to 12-cup bundt pan will work.
Cinnamon Apple Sour Cream Cake with Spelt
Ingredients
- Butter for greasing pan
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour sifted
- 1 1/2 cups spelt flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups sweet apples peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- Powdered sugar for topping
- Crème fraîche for topping
Instructions
- Grease a bundt pan and set aside. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Sift together cake flour, spelt flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne. Stir in salt and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine sour cream and sugar. With an electric mixer, beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each until creamy. Add vanilla and beat for another minute.
- Add the flour and spices to the wet ingredients, beating on low speed just until combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in apples and almonds until they are dispersed evenly. Do not mix too vigorously or you will flatten the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack on the counter. Allow cake to cool in pan.
- Once cake is cool, turn it out onto a serving plate. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Slice and serve each piece with a dollop of crème fraîche.
Notes
Nutrition
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.