Cinnamon-Apple Cake

You may have noticed this picture of a slice of apple cake in my favorites. Served slightly warm with vanilla ice cream it truly is a slice of heaven. The recipe for this scrumptious Cinnamon-Apple Cake  is courtesy of Cooking Light magazine. It was first published in January of 2000 and has since become a perennial in our house. Depending on the time of the year I modify the recipe to include seasonal fruits. Apples and pears work well during the winter months, but peaches, nectarines or plums make an equally delicious cake. A quarter cup of raisins or cranberries adds nice flavor to the apple and pear variations. You can also experiment with different spices, such as nutmeg, cardamom or cloves. The original recipe calls for one and  three quarter cups of granulated sugar, but I usually substitute about half of it with brown sugar. The ingredients of this simple recipe make for a wonderfully moist and tender cake that keeps very well.

Ingredients:                                                                                                                                       

1  3/4 cups sugar, divided                                    

6 ounces fat free cream cheese, softened                                     

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1  teaspoon vanilla extract

2  large eggs

1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2  teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups chopped peeled apples

Cooking spray

 Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed for about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, and beat at low speed until blended. Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon. In a bowl mix 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar with chopped apples; stir coated apple mixture into batter.  Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool cake on a wire rack and cut using a serrated knife.

Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

This cake is great to serve for breakfast or brunch. Bake it in a heart shaped cake pan and surprise your loved ones with it on Valentine's Day morning. Measure out the dry ingredients the night before and quickly stir the batter together in the morning. No need to bring out your mixer, it can all be done by hand. Best of all, it is made with ingredients you probably have on hand or in your pantry. As do most of my recipes, this one too lends itself well to modifications. The original recipe calls for a raspberry filling and almond extract to flavor the batter. Depending on your mood or what is in season, you can substitute blueberries and a touch of lemon juice and grated lemon rind. On occasion, I have even used chocolate chips instead of a fruit filling and added vanilla extract to the cake batter.

Ingredients  

Cake

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4  cup granulated sugar

1 tsp.baking powder

1/4 tsp.baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 large beaten egg, room temperature

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp. almond extract

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (can substitute blueberries or blackberries)

Cinnamon Crumble Topping

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Preparation:

Butter and flour a 8 inch round baking dish (or a novelty heart shaped cake pan that holds 4 cups).

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine butter, sour cream, almond extract, and egg in another bowl. Whisk until well mixed. Add liquid ingredients to flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Do not overmix as you want the end result to be a tender cake.

To make the topping, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until coarse crumbs form.

Pour two-thirds of the cake batter into prepared pan and create a slight indentation in the center. Top with raspberries. Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls on top and sprinkle with cinnamon topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. The cake is most delicious served slightly warm with a dollop of whipped cream.