Spiced Loaf Cake with Stewed Apples
This autumn treat features a fragrant orange scented cake topped with stewed chopped apples. The mixture of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples are cooked in a buttery maple syrup spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla.
Servings: 10
Calories: 417kcal
Ingredients
Spiced Loaf Cake:
- 1 ¾ cup (230 grams) cake flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter room temp
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 2 large eggs room temp
- ¾ cup (170 grams) whole milk
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) sour cream
Stewed Apples:
- 3 medium apples* (400 grams) cored and chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh squeeze lemon juice
- ½ cup (156 grams) maple syrup
- 6 Tbsp (85 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 pieces whole cloves
- 3 pieces whole green cardamom
- ½ vanilla bean split and insides scraped
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder (starch)
Instructions
Loaf Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Butter and flour 9x5-inch loaf pan. Tap out any excess flour and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), beat butter, sugar, orange zest, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
- With the mixer running on low, add eggs one at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl to ensure thorough mixing.
- Mix together milk and sour cream. Set aside.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture. Add ⅓ of flour mixture. Mix on low speed. Add half of milk mixture. Mix until combined. Repeat adding dry and wet, finishing with the last ⅓ of flour mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Mix until just combined and there are no longer any dry streaks of flour.
- Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Spread into an even layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from tin and cool to room temperature on wire rack.
Stewed Apples:
- Core apples. Chopped into large bite-size pieces. Toss in lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a heavy bottomed sauce pot, combine butter and maple syrup. Set over medium heat and melt butter.
- Add lemon apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and vanilla bean. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until apples have softened to desired consistency. Add salt.
- In a small bowl, mix together arrowroot powder with 1 teaspoon water until smooth. Pour into hot apple mixture and stir until distributed. Cook for another minute. Remove from heat and cool.*
- Strain out vanilla bean, cloves, and cardamom before serving.
Serving:
- Slice cooled loaf cake. Top with spiced apples. Spiced apples can be served warm, room temperature, or chilled.
- Loaf cake can also be garnished with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- I used a combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples. Listed weight refers to chopped apples.
- Speed up cooling process by placing cooked apples in the fridge or freezer.
Nutrition
Calories: 417kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 86mg, Sodium: 231mg, Potassium: 185mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 657IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 120mg, Iron: 1mg