Share a Spoon - Apple Nut Spice Cake

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Happy Thursday Smackers!


Lick those lips and rub those bellies cause I made dessert today!


It's APPLE season.  When you walk into the grocery stores this time of year you just smell apples and cinnamon.  *SIGH*  Makes me hungry even when I have just eaten.


I was so thrilled when Andrea over at Good Girl Gone Redneck asked for APPLES.  I love apple crisp, apple dumplings, fried apple pies, caramel apples, brandied apples.  I just love apples.  Period. 


When I was little I used to watch my dad take a Granny Smith, a paring knife and a salt shaker from the kitchen.  He would cut his apple up and salt each slice.  What?  Salt on apples?  Don't knock it until you've tried it. 


So this week I knew I wanted to make an apple spice cake.  I searched my recipes.  I searched my collection of dessert magazines and books.  I searched the go to websites.  I found nothing I thought sounded good.  So....what's a girl to do?


Take the best parts of several recipes of course!


Here's my end results.


APPLE NUT SPICE CAKE


Cake Ingredients:

4 Apples (I used 2 granny smith and 2 honey crisps) diced

2 Tablespoons of apple juice or cider

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

In a bowl combine all ingredients above and set aside.

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups canola oil

3 extra large eggs

3 Tablespoon apple juice or apple cider

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon all spice

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup pecans

Cream together sugar, oil, eggs and apple juice.  

In another bowl mix flour, spices, salt and soda.  Make sure all the ingredients are well blended and then add to the creamed sugar mixture a little at a time until completely combined.  

Fold in the nuts and the apples.  The batter is really thick.  Work the apples in as gently as you can, but it will take some work.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare a bundt cake pan with cooking spray or shortening and flour.  I use cooking spray and I liberally spray the pan to make sure the cake will release easily.  

Cook the cake for 90 minutes.  Seems like a long time, but it should take pretty close to that.  Let the cake cool almost completely before turning it out onto your cake plate.

Apple Butter Cream Glaze:

1 cup Confectioner's (Powdered) Sugar

2 Tablespoons melted butter

2 Tablespoons Apple Juice

1 Tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream
splash of vanilla extract

Whisk the all the ingredients for the glaze together until the glaze is smooth.  Drizzle over the cake.

ENJOY!


Happy BAKING Smackers!


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