January 2018 | The Honest Spoon

There's just something about cinnamon that warms me on a cold January day.  After boiling some orange peels and cinnamon sticks on the stove, the aroma lead me down a path of "hmmmm,...what can bake with cinnamon today”? As I was going through my recipe box I came across this gem. PERFECT. I had a handful of granny smith apples at home, checked for the rest and I was in luck.  I had all the ingredients for Zia's Apple Cake.

This recipe came from my Mom, who got it from her Aunt.  My Mom came to America, from Italy, in her teens. When they came to America they lived with her Aunt for a short while. This recipe came from her and it's been around a long time. It's a great choice when you've exhausted the usual "cinnamon & apple" combos of pies, crumbles, etc. This recipe also makes GREAT muffins! If you decide to go that route, follow the same method & just cut the baking time in half. Make sure to line your muffin tins with parchment baking cups.

For this post, I opted to bake this  cake in two loaf pans. This is always a great option for our household. While my boys devour the first loaf, I can wrap and freeze the other.  I like to have back up cakes in the freezer for a last minute guest or treat for my family. You can also bake in 9 x 13 cake pan or two muffin pans.

ZIA'S APPLE CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE :

• 3 cups flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups granulated white sugar

• 4 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 3/4 cup sour cream

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 4 granny smith apples, peeled (cores removed)

CINNAMON SUGAR:

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 Cup white granulated sugar

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. In a small bowl, prepare the cinnamon sugar mixture.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, orange juice, sour cream, and vanilla extract.

5. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Mix until well combined.

6. Prepare apples. Peel, core, and dice 2 apples. Peel, core, and slice the last two apples. You can sprinkle the apples with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.  

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:

1. Spray two loaf pans with non stick cooking spray. You can first line with parchment if preferred.

2. Divide half the batter between the two loaf pans.

3. Add one layer of diced apples and sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over top of each cake.

4. Spoon the remaining batter over the diced apples. Arrange half the sliced apples on top and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar.

5. Cover cake pan(s) loosely with foil. This will prevent the cakes from over browning.

6  Bake for 45-55 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*To bake muffins, line the tin with parchment baking cups and cut the bake time in half.