Fresh Apple Cake with Maple Glaze

Although we can get pretty good apples all year long, Fall is definitely the season for great apples.  I grew up with Red Delicious apples, not ever knowing there were actually other kinds available!  I finally discovered Fuji apples – crispy, sweet with just the right amount of tartness – and haven’t looked back. 

Besides the taste and texture, I love Fuji apples because they last forever in the refrigerator.  Well, maybe not forever, but a lot longer than other apples – 3 to 4 months if properly refrigerated!  They’re nice to have on hand for this delicious lightly spicy Fresh Apple Cake.

Fuji’s were developed in Japan and are a cross between two American apples – the Red Delicious and the Virginia Ralls Janet (OK, I’ve never heard of the second one).  They’re known for their crisp texture and long shelf-life and are good for cooking, baking, freezing and just plain apple-eating.  They’re not the ruby red color of Red Delicious – most  are red with yellowish stripes and they’re a rounder apple.   Washington state harvests them in October and they’re best then, but I buy them all year long.

To get to the point (too late), I make this apple cake with Fuji apples, although any sweet-tart apple would be good. Definitely not red delicious, though – it wouldn’t hold up in the baking phase. 

A friend gave me this Fresh Apple Cake with Maple Glaze recipe in the late 80’s when I was but a toddler…..um, anyway this is my favorite apple cake.  I love the simple maple glaze on it and it’s still my favorite apple cake after all these years.

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Fresh Apple Cake with Maple Glaze

Yield: 15

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

*Love the light cinnamon flavor. Get your arm muscles ready for stirring the ingredients by hand!  Tastes best the next day.

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Ingredients

• 1 C. oil
• 2 C. sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked together
• 3 C. flour
• 1 tsp. soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 C. peeled and diced apples
• 1 C. chopped pecans, optional
• Glaze:  optional
• 4 tbsp. powdered sugar, sifted
• milk
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. maple extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°. 
2. Put diced apples into a large bowl, then add the sugar and let them sit for about 5 minutes to make some juice so the batter won't be so stiff.  
3. In a smaller bowl, sift together the flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the 2 eggs into the apple mixture and then pour the flour mixture (about a cup at a time - stirring between cups) into apple mixture and stir batter well.
4. Stir in vanilla and then add pecans (pecans optional). Pour into a greased/floured bundt pan.
5. Bake 1 hour, 15-20 minutes at 325, checking after 1 hour. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out on rack. 
6. Place wax paper under the rack, mix together glaze ingredients to the texture you like, then pour over the cake. Let cool before serving.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Next time I'm adding about 1/2 Cup of golden raisins - I think that would make it even better!

I use Pam and flour to prepare the pan.  Make sure the flour/Pam also coats the tube part of the pan so it won't stick, and tap the pan upside down to make sure there are no flour clumps that will transfer to the baked cake.

I sprinkle a little powdered sugar after it's baked just to make it pretty, but that's completely optional.

I kind of like chopped apples rather than diced - just my preference.

Great in the morning, nuked for about 15 seconds and enjoyed with a cup of coffee for breakfast!!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 418Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 174mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 2gSugar: 32gProtein: 5g

Nutrition Values are Approximate