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Apple Spice Cake

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12 to 14 serves
Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 400 g golden caster sugar or plain caster sugar
  • 420 g self raising flour
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp sea salt flakes

  • 250 g walnuts lightly toasted and chopped (optional)

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 x 800g tin "pie apple" I used 100% apple pieces by Ardmona, or
  • 6 x medium Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
  • 250 g melted butter cooled but still liquid
  • 2 x 60g eggs lightly beaten
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

For Dusting

  • Cinnamon sugar

Instructions

  • Melt the butter and put aside to cool (for ease I did this in the microwave)
  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan forced, and arrange rank into middle of oven
  • Grease and line a 24cm (base measurement) round cake tin
  • Place dry ingredients, except the walnuts if using, into a bowl and use a whisk to lightly blend together
  • Place "pie apple" pieces or fresh apple pieces into a separate large bowl (this is where you will do your mixing)
  • Add eggs and vanilla to melted butter and mix together well with a fork
  • Pour the egg mixture over the apple, and add in the walnuts if using, and stir lightly to combine
  • Add the dry ingredients to the apple mix and mix well together
  • Place batter into cake tin and level top (if using fresh apple the batter will be a little stiffer so ensure you lightly press it into the base of the tin to get to all the edges)
  • Put tin into oven and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, test, then add another 5 to 10 minutes if necessary (it takes exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes in my oven but test a touch early just in case)
  • Remove cake from oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes in tin before turning out onto a cake rack to cool completely
  • Dust with cinnamon sugar and serve

Notes

Whilst I always try to use fresh fruit when baking I realise that isn't always possible when you are time poor, can't get to the shops, and have to rely on pantry staples. So this cake works particularly well with "pie apple" (Ardmona brand) which you can buy at any supermarket. But having said that this cake is fabulous too using fresh apples ... so I have done both to show you the results ... they taste identical, but the version using the pie apple is easier to cut into precise slices, whilst the fresh apple cake has apple chunks throughout so the slices are not so straight.
And it is worthwhile noting that when I was testing this recipe, I made one for a friend to share with his grandchildren, so I took the step of adding 250g of toasted walnut halves (which I lightly chopped) into the mixture along with the butter/eggs, and then baked it as normal. To be honest this is hands down my favourite version (I was lucky enough to have a piece with the grandchildren!), but due to nut allergy in my family that is not an option, but I will definitely do this when baking for others.
NB: when testing this recipe I used six medium "Granny Smith" apples which I peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks, and their weight was exactly the same weight as the large tin of pie apple (800g) needed for this recipe. I did this twice and each time the weight of the six apples came to 800g or just very slightly under, but aim to use six apples and no less. The cake keeps well at room temperature for a few days and goes particularly well with creamy custard, or freshly whipped cream seasoned with a touch of vanilla extract or paste.