Apple Pound Cake

An autumnal pound cake that is warm and inviting and the sticky brown sugar icing is not only a pleasant touch, it envelops the richness of this crumbly moist melt in your mouth seasonal cake slice after slice. 

Apple Pound Cake

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2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups light olive oil

3 large eggs

1 1 /2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon British mixed spice

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups firm apples, diced (about 3 to 4 medium sized apples)

1 cup chopped walnuts

Brown Sugar Butter Icing:

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1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon maple extract

Heat the butter and brown sugar together over low heat. Add the evaporated milk and allow it to come to a full boil. Remove from the heat and add the maple extract. Drizzle over cake.

Preheat oven to 325ºF (170ºC). Grease and flour a 9 inch tube pan.

Core the apples. With the skins still on dice the apples.  

In a large bowl mix together the sugar and oil. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat well. Add the diced apples to the sugar and oil mixture and stir.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, British mixed spice and salt. Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar and oil mixture and mix well. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared tube pan. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until cake is done, testing with a toothpick towards the centre, if it comes out clean with a few moist crumbs not wet and gooey.

When done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Gently run a knife down the sides and the inner sides of the pan be careful not to stick the knife into the cake or scratch the pan. Tap the pan firmly a few times to help loosen the cake. Place the wire rack or a plate over the base of the pan and invert the cake pan onto the plate and slowly lift the pan off and let the cake continue to cool on the plate. 

When the cake is cool make the brown sugar butter icing, see recipe and instructions above, and drizzle over cake. 

The Best 100 Vegan Baking Recipes

It seems as though, lately I have been glancing through my vegan/vegetarian cookbooks more. I do think that if it tastes the same or better than the original non-vegan recipe then why not try it, eat it, and enjoy it! If you ever thought about creating vegan baking than this book is a good one to start with. 

The Best Vegan Baking cookbook covers classic and traditional treats as well as the author's own baking creations. The 100 recipes are delicious cruelty-free baking that are rich in flavour and taste. Easy to bake recipes that offer simple substitutions for eggs and diary and baking tips and tricks to help you along. 

Each recipe has been rated 1 to 5 hand whisks; 1 being very simple and 5 being challenging. Regardless, all recipes may be conquered by those willing to try. 

To find out more about the author and other recipes click *here* 

Most of the shops here in E-town seem to have an over abundance of apples and therefore apples are on sale. So I thought I would share this simple apple cake recipe...

Cinn-ful Apple Cake

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Yields: 1 cake, 12 slices  Prep Time: 20 mins  Difficulty: 2 hand whisks 

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup margarine, melted and cooled

3/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups peeled, chopped baking apples (such as Granny Smith)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour the sides of an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. If you do not have a springform pan, a regular 8-inch cake pan will do.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream together 1 1/4 cups sugar with margarine. Add applesauce. Incorporate vanilla and milk until mixed through. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in two batches until just mixed.

Combined cinnamon with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Toss 2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar mixture with sliced apples. Gently fold apples into batter.

Spread batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle top with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, until middle of cake is set and the toothpick comes out clean. Remove cake and let cool completely on a cooling rack before serving. Store cake covered at room temperature.

Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. - JD