Company's Coming Apple Cake

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I’m a bit reluctant to post yet-another less-than-light recipe because I do try to keep our diet healthy, but the apple cake is just too good not to praise. It’s made with simple ingredients you typically have on hand, other than perhaps apples, and it comes together quickly. Any kind of apple can be used, but the recipe cautions against Granny Smiths that tend to be too dry and McIntoshes, which get mushy. Rich-tasting, low-fat** buttermilk results in a tender crumb and more body. I used slightly less sugar and changed the ratio of whole wheat and all-purpose flours; with two sticks of butter, it was still melt-in-your mouth moist. I upped the cinnamon and nutmeg and added cloves and ground ginger, producing more of an apple SPICE cake, so your house will smell heavenly. The original recipe indicates it keeps several days at room temperature, assuming it lasts that long.

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Ingredients

  • Streusel:
  • 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 C granulated sugar
  • 3/4 C packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 2 t ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 t cloves
  • 1/4 t ground ginger
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 3/4 t salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 C buttermilk (Mix 1 T lemon juice with enough skim milk to make 1 C and allow to thicken)
  • 2 C diced, peeled apple, 1/2" dice, about 2-3 apples
  • .....................................
  • 1/4 C light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 t ground cinnamon
  • 4 T butter, melted
  • 1/2 C walnuts (original recipe indicates pecans as an option)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and line it with a layer of heavy-duty foil, leaving a two-inch overhang on each of the short ends. Butter the foil.

With a stand-mixer or hand-beaters, beat the butter until creamy, roughly 1 minute. Gradually beat in the two sugars until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together with a fork or small whisk. Set aside.

Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, beating after each addition just to incorporate. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.
Fold in the apples just until combined. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan; don’t overmix the batter

For the streusel:
Use a pastry blender or two knives, and mix together all of the ingredients except the nuts together until it is coarse crumbles. Add the nuts and scatter the topping over the coffee cake batter in an even layer.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Cool completely on a rack before serving. Lift it out of the pan using the foil overhang as handles.

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