This is what I believe is an old traditional recipe, I adapted it from a blog post here.
I dropped some of the oil and used applesauce, I also topped it with my own cinnamon sauce creation, SCRUMPTIOUS!
You don’t need any glaze really but you can make up a simple confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla glaze if you want.
It makes a nice big cake and is SUPER easy to make! A good one for beginner bakers.
Old-Fashioned Apple Cake
3 apples peeled and chopped (2 ½ c or more, use tart apples)
2 1/2 cup sself rising flour (or plain flour plus 4 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp salt)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ c oil (original recipe called for 1 c oil, I cut it and added the applesauce)
½ c applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
I’ll add pictures here along with the directions:
Gather your ingredients together; this cake is made with just a few.
1. Peel and chop about 3 apples, 1 1/2 c or more, using tart apples. Set aside. Grease and flour your pan now too so it’s ready.
2. Mix s.r. flour, sugar, cinnamon in a bowl with a whisk. Add nuts and or raisins now if using.
3. Measure oil into large glass measuring cup then add spoonfuls of applesauce to make the level rise to 1 c. Now add two eggs and carefully mix eggs in well. (Saves getting more cups dirty!) Add to dry ingredients and mix.
4. Add apples and finish mixing by hand; it’s a thick, heavy batter.
5. Spoon into well greased and floured bundt or angel food pan. I used an antique pan called “Re-Kul Pan O Cake”, I LOVE that, Pan O Cake! haha…More about that later.
6. Bake at 350 F 45 min – 1 hour. It comes out with a nice sort of crust on top, I think because of the sugar in it.
Let cool 10 minutes in pan then remove to rack to cool by turning upside down. Or after removing, put on plate and drizzle with glaze made from confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla. Original recipe said to put it on cooled cake, but I liked putting it on warm, made it all melty.
My Notes:
- The original recipe called for 1 c oil, I cut it to 1/2 c and added 1/2 applesauce; it was great.
- Try cutting the sugar back too if you like, I’ll try it next time and let you know how it goes.
- Raisins are really nice in this!
- Make sure ingredients are at room temperature, it helps.
- I bet this would be really good baked in loaf pans too because the top came out with a lovely sort of crispiness.
- I also baked this as a half recipe in a 9×9″ pan, plenty for one or two!
- Gosh don’t you just love an easy recipe that comes out so great?!
So you’re wondering about that pan? Well I bought mine at a thrift store, must be ages ago, and never used it. When I was cleaning out my lower cupboards I pulled it out and thought it was interesting with the writing engraved on the sides. I guess a baker named Jackson M. Luker in Urbana, Illinois, was in competition with another bakery across the street. They started selling angel food cakes cheaper, this made him so mad he left ALL his cakes to sit and spoil. When they sat in the pan so long he thought they were ruined but actually, because of being made with egg whites they formed a sort of hard crust and it kept them quite fresh inside. He had the brilliant idea to offer them this way in the pan and was able to ship them all over the USA. You send the pan back in for a refill cheaper! You could buy one for $2.50 then the refill was $1.25.
Read the article here to learn more about this inventive baker: http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/1940s/1947/08/foodflashes . I saw a pan like mine for sale on EBay for $69!! No Way! Then I saw one on a site called “Proxibid” and it sold for $1, so hey, maybe you can find one?
Filed under: Baking, Cakes | Tagged: adapted recipe, apple, apple cake, applesauce, Baking, cake, cinnamon + spice, dessert, food, glaze, nuts, Old Fashioned Apple Cake, re-kul pan, self raising flour, tea time | Leave a comment »