I’ve been perusing my cookbook collection in the hope of finding something yummy to make for my Mom and Grandma for Mother’s Day. While looking through Baking from the Heart, I found a delicious spice cake recipe packed with tart apples, sweet raisins, and crunchy pecans. My cake is based on Joanne Chang’s Apple Spice Snacking Cake, but I made quite a few modifications.
Megan’s Version -
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs of cornstarch + scant 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- pinch of ground cloves
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 6 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 3 granny smith apples, chopped
- 1/2 cup mix of jumbo raisins and dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Directions
- Whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices
- Cream together the butter and sugar with a stand mixer until light and fluffy (~1 min)
- Add the eggs (one at a time) and increase mixer speed to high (~2 mins)
- Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until just combined
- Stir in the apples, raisins, and pecans by hand
- Pour the batter into a greased 9″ x 9″ pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, cover with foil if the top starts to brown too much.
- Allow to cool, eat and enjoy.
Look at all of the apples in this recipe! They get soft and carmelized in the oven. This makes the cake very moist – almost like apple pie filling!
Finished cake!
Note – I used a smaller, 8″ x 8″ pan and I do NOT reccomend this. I baked the cake for about 50-55 minutes, removed it from the oven, and allowed it to cool overnight. The next morning when I tried to cut the cake, I realized that the center of the cake didn’t fully cook. Oy! I had to pop it back in the oven for another 30 minutes. The cake WILL be very moist, with apple pie filling-esque pockets, but the center should still “set” after the 40-45 minute baking time. Take my advice, use the 9″ x 9″ pan!!
Another Note - Despite the baking time/pan mishap, I have to say that this was one of the BEST tasting cakes I have ever made. The chewy raisins, carmelized apples, crunchy pecans, and cinnamon spice cake blended together perfectly. Even though I made this for my mom, I couldn’t stop sneaking crumbs from the pan 
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas out there!!