I’ve made this recipe six times this year, that’s how much everyone likes it. In fact, I now make two batches of the dry ingredients so that I can have this cake ready to go at a moment’s notice. There’s something deeply satisfying about this cake. The original recipe said to peel the apples but I don’t … then again, I’m using backyard apples and not store bought apples so the skins might be thinner – use your own judgement. My version of this recipe has more cinnamon and vanilla and I bumped up the apple content, too. These changes from the original recipe only served to intensify the flavour.
- 1-3/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups chopped tart apples – I like a mix of large and small chunks
- 1 cup chopped walnuts – optional
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and baking soda; gradually beat the dry ingredients into sugar mixture until blended. Fold in apples and walnuts, if adding them. I sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of the batter.
Spoon the batter into a greased 13 x 9-in. baking dish or a 9 in. spring form pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out cleanly. Cool on a wire rack. It’s delicious on its own, but also goes very well with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.