Prep Time: 20 Minutes | Cook Time: 30 Minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Difficulty: Easy
I am a huge fan of apples so autumn is like heaven. And I may or may not have come home from the house of my best girl the other day with a sack of delicious green granny smiths. She totally said I could have some so it’s not like I get all my fruit by sneaking over someones back fence.. I took the opportunity of my apple bounty to work on remastering a family classic. I have had this cake in it’s original form many times at home and with extended family. When I started making it, I wanted something with a bit more lightness and more apple-y flavour coming through. I’m pretty sure I nailed it. Just sayin’. Use a good flavoured cooking apple, not something too sweet, to get the best flavour.
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Line a 9 inch square cake pan with baking paper and set aside. Make the streusel first so it’s ready to go when you are. Chop the pecans roughly.
Mix together in a small bowl with the brown sugar, spices and oats.
Melt the butter and mix until the streusel is well combined.
Grate the apples with a box grater until you have a packed cupful. Grate on a plate so that you can trap the extra juice and add it to the cup. In a bowl toss the apple with the cider vinegar and vanilla. Don’t be tempted to leave out the vinegar – it’s the insurance for making the cake rise. Baking soda needs acid to react and create air bubbles. A couple of teaspoons of vinegar won’t affect flavour but will help the cake rise well. Melt the butter and mix into the apple.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and spices together into a bowl and set aside. Using a standing or hand-held mixer beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale.
Add the apple/butter mixture first then add the dry ingredients on top. Fold gently until the batter is just combined. Scrape all the lovely goo into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top. Give the streusel a gentle press to make sure it is stuck to the cake.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the centre. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cut into squares to serve.
This cake keeps surprisingly well and is great in lunch-boxes but is equally good warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top. Well that’s what I heard anyway…
Apple Streusel Snack Cake
Prep Time : 20 mins | Cook Time : 30 mins | Total Time : 1 hour | Difficulty : Easy | Makes : 1 x 9 inch square cake
Lightly spiced tender cake full of juicy apple and topped with crunchy streusel.
Ingredients:
For the streusel:
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) raw pecans
- 1/3 cup (30 grams) rolled oats
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) butter, melted
For the cake:
- approx 2 medium apples – enough for 1 cup firmly packed grated apple
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 9 tablespoons (125 grams) butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon)
- 2/3 cup (140 grams) sugar
- 2 large eggs
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Standing or Hand-held mixer
- 9 inch square cake pan
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Line a 9 inch square cake pan with baking paper and set aside. Make the streusel first so it’s ready to go when you are. Chop the pecans roughly. Mix together in a small bowl with the brown sugar, spices and oats. Melt the butter and mix until the streusel is well combined.
Grate the apples with a box grater until you have a packed cupful. Grate on a plate so that you can trap the extra juice and add it to the cup. In a bowl toss the apple with the cider vinegar and vanilla. Don’t be tempted to leave out the vinegar – it’s the insurance for making the cake rise. Baking soda needs acid to react and create air bubbles. A couple of teaspoons of vinegar won’t affect flavour but will help the cake rise well. Melt the butter and mix into the apple.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and spices together into a bowl and set aside. Using a standing or hand-held mixer beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale.
Add the apple/butter mixture first then add the dry ingredients on top. Fold gently until the batter is just combined.
Scrape all the lovely goo into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top. Give the streusel a gentle press to make sure it is stuck to the cake.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the centre.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.
– This cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. It can also be frozen if carefully wrapped –
© 2016 The Winsome Baker. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.
