on a cake kick

Sometimes I become obsessed with certain foods. Prime example--my mission to find the best chicken wrap in all of the Capital Region.


Usually, though, the fixation is of the sweet and sugary variety. That's the case with my latest infatuation--apple cake.

In addition to my beloved apple dapple cake, I’ve recently tried two other recipes with delightful and drool-worthy results. After taking a one-tenth-of-a-second glimpse of Kate’s caramel apple cake, I decided to test it out too.

The recipe doesn’t differ much from my apple dapple cake. In fact, the only divergence is that a combination of white and brown sugar is used in both the cake and the glaze. Being a self-proclaimed apple cake connoisseur, I decided to make a few adjustments of my own. I used applesauce in lieu of most of the oil and also added a bit of whole wheat flour in place of some of the all-purpose flour. Now before you get all worked up about me trying to make this more healthy, I guess I should mention another change I made--I doubled the glaze. It’s been well-documented that I have a mean sweet tooth and I make no excuses. I doubled the glaze, dang it, and it was good.


I did one other thing about which I'm quite excited--I tossed some marshmallows into the batter. While they completely disappeared into the baked cake, a subtle hint of their flavor (a taste that I find particularly enjoyable) still remained. It's my belief that they dissolved into the cake and migrated upwards, forming a little bit of a crust on top. Yes, I'll be pulling this trick again.

Future apple cakes to try? Lisa's apple and cream cheese cake, Sandie's toffee apple upside-down cake, and Melanie's apple cider pudding cake.

Another Amazing Apple Cake
(based heavily on this recipe)

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Honeycrisp apples, diced
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup mini marshmallows

Caramel Glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter and flour a 13x9 inch pan.
In a medium bowl, beat both sugars, oil, and applesauce until well-blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add the sugar mixture until just blended. Fold in the apples and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan whilst making the glaze.
To make the glaze, melt the butter in saucepan over low heat. Stir in both sugars and salt and cook over medium low heat for 2 minutes. Add the milk and boil for 5 more minutes, stirring constantly. Poke holes in the cake with a fork or skewer. Pour on the glaze and let set.