Spiced Apple Cake

I have an apple obsession…or so I’ve been told…I eat one just about everyday.  Not necessarily because apples are my favorite fruit (although I do love them), but because of their convenience.

What other fruit can you throw in your bag/purse that won’t get damaged and you don’t have to peel?  It’s a running joke that I always have an apple (or 2) in my purse.



Apples are easy to find, relatively cheap (especially right now because it’s apple season), and there is a huge variety that all taste different.  I love pink ladies and honeycrisps.  That’s what I usually buy (unless some other variety of organic apple is on sale at WF…this week I’m enjoying galas at $1.49/lb).  I love a sweet, slightly tart crisp apple…no granny smiths for me, they are too tart!  I prefer red apples.  And I can’t stand when they are mealy or soft.  Which is the exact reason I love pink lady and honeycrisp apples…I’ve never had a bad one!

When I was little I loved when Bernie would peel and slice my apples.  But now being the health-conscious girl that I am, I eat the skin.  I usually eat apples raw, but sometimes I microwave diced apple with a little cinnamon and sugar for a warm apple treat.



And then there is this apple cake from the Williams-Sonoma New Healthy Kitchen cookbook.  It’s flavor of warm spices pair perfectly with the apples which melt and all but disappear into the batter.  And what else could be more appropriate for dessert (or breakfast) with the fabulous cool weather we are being spoiled with here in Louisiana?

Hil says it’s not as good as mom’s spice cake, but then again, she likes macaroni from a box too.  Try it for yourself…it might be the start of your own apple obsession.




Spiced Apple Cake
adapted from Williams-Sonoma New Healthy Kitchen

makes 10 servings

2 large (or 3 medium) apples*
1 cup granulated sugar 
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 tablespoons granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan (I used an angel food tube pan).  Quarter, core, and thinly slice the apples, leaving the skin intact.

In a bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in two-thirds of the apple slices.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture stirring until just blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the remaining apple slices in a pattern on top, pressing them gently into the batter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake until the cake is golden and springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake stand in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into wedges to serve.

* You can use any type of apple that is in season…the cake will taste slightly different every time, but it will always be moist and delicious. 

Per serving (1/10 of cake) – 250 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated), 40 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein (exchanges: 2 starch, 2 fat; WW points: 6)

As a comparison…Betty Crocker’s Spice Cake

Per serving (1/10 of cake) – 324 calories, 16 g fat (4 g saturated), 42 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 5 g protein