Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

I’ve got another great Autumn dessert for you today! Just take a look at this Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting! With a texture somewhat similar to carrot cake, this incredibly moist treat is just bursting with all of the flavors of Fall, like apple, pecans, cinnamon and nutmeg. And that Brown Sugar Frosting? It is just unbelievably dreamy – smooth and creamy with notes of maple and caramel flavors. It is very similar to fudge to be honest.

And I must say, I do love an old-fashioned sheet cake. You can’t get much easier than that and you just frost it right there in the pan. This Fall treat is delicious when eaten the same day it was made. But, I gotta say, I think it even tastes better the next day (if you can manage to keep from scarfing it all down at once that is…). Good for dessert, coffee breaks or even breakfast. Perfect for potlucks or church socials. Serve it up with a nice cold glass of milk. You can’t go wrong with this one!

• Servings: 24 slices
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 2 1/3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups peeled, cored, chopped apple, about 1 1/3 pounds whole apples
• 1 cup diced toasted walnuts or pecans

For the frosting:

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9″ x 13″ pan. 

To make the cake: Toast whatever nuts you are using by placing them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350° oven until they are golden brown; about 6 – 9 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Mix all of the ingredients except the apples and nuts in a large bowl. 

Beat until well combined; the mixture will be very stiff, and may even be crumbly. 

Add the apples and nuts, and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the stiff mixture becomes a thick batter, somewhere between cookie dough and brownie batter in consistency. 

Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with your wet fingers.

Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few wet crumbs clinging to it. 

Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a rack to cool completely; don’t remove the cake from the pan. 

To make the frosting: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts. 

Add the milk, bring to a boil, and pour into a mixing bowl to cool for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, stir in the sifted confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat well; if the mixture appears too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar. Spread on the cake while frosting is still warm.

Enjoy!

Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Fresh Apple Cinnamon Chip Scones

Want your house to smell like a perfect Fall day, all cozy and cinnamon-y? Bake up a batch of these Fresh Apple Cinnamon Chip Scones. And let me just say right here…it is still Fall. I know you’re seeing all those Christmas holiday decorations going up. I think folks have barely put their forks down from their Thanksgiving dinner and they’ve already got their Christmas trees up and decorated. Why rush it folks? It really is still Fall. At least I keep telling myself that. In good old Virginia yesterday it was 76°F (24°C)! We were in short sleeves and I could’ve probably gotten away with shorts. Not my idea of Fall weather. But after a line of thunderstorms roared through last night, we’re back down to the 50’s, which is a respectable range for Fall weather I think. Anyhoo….back to these scones! I love them because they are chock full of fresh crisp apples, which you should be able to find easily this time of year (being Fall – I will say again). They are very soft and tender inside and have a wonderful crunchy cinnamon sugar crust over the top.

It took no time at all to whip these up. Easy-peasy I say. And I can’t tell you how delightful it was to kick back with a hot cup of tea and an Apple Cinnamon Chip Scone, warm from the oven and slathered with butter. No better way to enjoy a crisp FALL day!

 

• Servings: 12 large scones
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

For the Scones:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold butter
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh apple, in 1/2″ pieces (about half a medium apple); leave the skin on, if you like
• 3/4 cup cinnamon chips
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened preferred

For the Topping:

• 3 Tablespoons coarse white sparkling sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spices. 

Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated. 

Stir in the chopped apple and cinnamon chips.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and applesauce. 

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don’t have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan. 

Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Gently pat and round each half into a 5″ to 5 1/2″ circle about 3/4″ thick.

To make the topping: Stir together the coarse sugar and cinnamon. Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with the topping.

Using a knife or bench knife that you’ve run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges. 

Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2″ space between them, at their outer edges.

For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F. (So don’t skip this step! Freeze those scones!! Time in the freezer will allow the gluten to relax which will result in a much more tender scone. And the butter will solidify which will make the scones flakier. All good things, so put them in the freezer and chill out with a cup of coffee or something for 30 minutes.)

Bake the scones for 18 to 22 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. When you pull one away from the others, it should look baked all the way through; the edge shouldn’t look wet or unbaked. 

Remove the scones from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm. When they’re completely cool, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to several days.

Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Chip Scones brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful Links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Chip Scones:

Cinnamon Chips – I used these from King Arthur Flour, but you can also get them on Amazon.