Apple Cake
Each Fall, despite the insanity of back to school, we try to set aside a day in October to go apple picking. This is the height of the season for many Bucks County Farms, and there are many choices to pick your own – see list. This year we visited Solbury Orchards in New Hope. Solbury boasts over 20 different varieties of apples, and on the day we visited we were lucky enough to find our family favorite, the Honeycrisp apple, ripe and ready to pick.
As in years past, it is easy to get caught up in the fun of finding that perfect specimen. Solbury offers tractor rides to the orchard, and even ladders to scale the trees to fine that perfect one. After tasting a freshly picked apple on a beautiful autumn day it’s hard not to go overboard. The store bought variety simply don’t compare, in addition to the fact that the pick your own ones are half the price. So on most of these visits we end up with way too many apples. While they do last a while in the frig, the crisper drawer is only so big.
For years I’ve been collecting recipes to use up the inevitable surplus. Apple sauce, pie, cobbler, you name it we’ve tried it. This recipe for Apple Cake is hands down my favorite, as it is a variation of the traditional pie (I’d describe it as a cake-pie-cobbler hybrid). It also puts a nice dent in the apple surplus, using 5 lbs (about 12) of apples per cake. The rest of the ingredients are simple, and really showcase the taste of the fruit. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
print menuIngredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 TSP cinnamon
2 sticks cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
5 lbs (about 12) tart apples
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
1. In large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until the mixture forms pea sized pieces.
2. Press 2/3 of mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 9 inch springform pan.
3. Preheat oven to 350. Peel apples, cut into thin slices, and place in a bowl. Pour off any accumulated juice. Toss with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and lemon juice. Transfer slices into prepared pan. Press gently as you pack them in (they will mound above the edge of the pan).
4. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top.
5. Put pan on baking sheet lined with foil. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Run knife around the edge of the pan to release crust. Let cool in pan to set (cake will continue to release juices until cooled down a bit). Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
