The perfect coffee cake
October is in full swing and I am still using up my apples that won't keep, the ones that have a little worm hole or have fallen on the ground and gotten a bit bruise. This week I perfected my Apple Brown Sugar Cake. Apple Brown Sugar Cake is a quick apple cake that is bursting with the freshness of 2 cups of chopped fresh apples, rich with brown sugar and eggs and scented with cardamom. This apple cake is firm enough to wrap in squares for kids lunches but sweet and luscious enough to serve with coffee or as dessert with some whipping cream or ice cream.
Jump to:
All the health benefits of apples
Apples are so good for you, full of antioxidants, phytonutrients, fiber, have been shown to lower your risk of stroke and promote healthy gut bacteria-it's no joke that an apple a day keeps the doctor away! So although this cake is not quite as healthy as a whole fresh apple by itself, it is loaded with 2 cups of them (that was 4 of my small-medium sized apples) and if you're like me you'll be snacking on some fresh pieces while you're chopping them up for the cake.
Tips to keep your apples from browning
A quick side note, sometimes kids are picky about their apples turning brown when you were kind enough to cut them up ahead of time for their school lunch, and a quick "trick" I picked up from our local strong start program is to sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar over them. Not a lot, just a quarter teaspoon of each should be enough for a whole apple. Not only does it hide the brown, the kids think it's a great treat.
If you're looking for a savory apple recipe, try my Apple Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing.
Cardamom-a warming spice and a change from cinnamon
For the spice, I chose cardamom. Cardamom is a delicious, fragrant spice that I think is underused in Canada but is very common in India, (where it originated) Asia, Scandinavian countries and the Middle East. It is delicious in sweet breads and baking as well as savory dishes like curries. If you don't have cardamom, you could make your cake using a half teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg but I think it is a delicious and versatile spice worth trying if you haven't already.
Cheers to the deliciousness of fall, friends!
ox Sabrina
PS. Anyone else have tweens or teens that use all sorts of "new" words to indicate things that are cool or awesome? Well, my teen recently went through the MOIST phase. He and his friends took a neutral seeming word and made it irritating FAST. As I was writing this post and describing my cake, I got stuck on the word moist. I felt it was a very apt word for my cake but...I couldn't bring myself to use it.
So I polled a few friends and the ensuing text banter got hilarious but I was told more than once that I simply couldn't use the word moist yet no one could think of a better word!!! (Spongy was the best, wet and damp were clearly the worst options) I googled and compared other cake descriptions with no suitable equal and then decided I would not try to replace the word but simply describe it in other ways. (Feel free to scroll back up and see the creative descriptions I decided on)
I'm pretty sure this dilemma will present again...any ideas??? Help a girl out!
Send me your ideas below or on Instagram @wckitchengarden or Facebook at WC Kitchen Garden
Recipe
Apple Brown Sugar Snack Cake
Ingredients
- ½ c Salted Butter
- 1 ½ c Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla
- 3 Eggs
- 1 ½ c Flour
- 1 tbsp Cardamom
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 2 c Apples, Peeled And Chopped To ¼" Pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350"F and lightly grease a 9"x13" pan.
- Melt butter and then stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Once stirred well, beat in eggs.
- In a 2 cup (or larger) measuring cup, add flour, cardamom and baking powder and mix well, then add to butter mixture and stir gently until combined.
- Mix in apples and then pour into baking pan.
- Bake in oven 20-25 minutes. (My oven is on the cool side and took 25 min but I suggest setting your timer for 20 and checking then) Test with a toothpick and when it comes out clean, cake is done. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then carefully move to cooling rack and serve warm or let cool before putting back in pan to store.
I love the simplicity of this recipe for the season! Just give me anything with apples - love the cardamom in this cake too!
Thanks Jessica, apples are the best, aren’t they?!?!
LOL. I can't help you out, I've had exactly the same internal monologue with myself . There just is no other word. Claim the word, and type it with pride MOIST!!
Yep, that’s the conclusion I finally came too as well lol. Have a great day Bernice!
Can we get a ban on moist?? Hahaha! Love this cake. The portability is awesome. I adore a cake that can travel. 🙂
Yes to the ban but what’s the alternative?! Thanks for reading along and I hope you enjoy the cake 🙂
Wow, this cake looks fantastic! I adore cardamom but I've never combined it with apple before. I will definitely be making this cake! Thanks for the great recipe.
Thanks Heidi! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
I'm not big on sweets so I usually choose not to eat frosted cakes but this looks like the right balance, especially with the cardamom.
Thank you so much Ayngelina! I’m with you, too sweet is not for me. This gets its lovely natural sweetness and moisture from fresh apples 🙂
I stumbled on this recipe in May, but I love the cozy feeling of fall it evokes! Pinned to make later!
Thanks Kelly, definitely a warm and cozy cake!
Simple cakes like this are my absolute favourite! Love the combo of apples and cardamom.
Thank you so much Vanessa!
What an absolutely fantastic sounding cake. I love cardamom and I bet it's delicious!
Thanks! I really lobe the combination of apples and cardamom:-)
What delightful timing! I was just grinding some cardamom for a curry and the wonderful scent left me wanting to make a cake, and now here you are! Wonderful recipe, perfect in its simplicity. Apples and cardamom are such a natural fit together. Cheers!
Thanks so much Sean! That is a happy coincidence! Enjoy 🙂
This sounds perfect for my morning snack with tea!
Thanks Nancy! I bet it will be, sweet but not too sweet with freshness of the apples. Have a great day 🙂
I can't help but laugh when you tried to avoid the word moist. I think I am guilty of using it. It's too bad "moist" has become a 2020 Justin Trudeau meme. I also love the use of cardamom; it's my favourite spice in baking. We are going to give your recipe a try as we will have a lot of apples this year.
Trendy or infamous words are funny, aren’t they?! Despite that, this cake is MOIST and I hope you and your family love it!
love this simple recipe! It sounds sooo delicious and MOIST hahaa
Right?!? 😆
Love all the wonderful flavours in this apple cake especially cardamon which is a nice twist versus cinnamon! Lovely images too Sabrina:))
Thank you so much Shai, enjoy!