Cleaning out the freezer cake

Remember last fall when we had bushels upon bushels of apples at the Little Lake House? Roasters full of apple butter simmered for days, and the cupboards quickly filled with jars of cinnamony apple goodness for toast, and many, many jars of applesauce. The dehydrator worked overtime drying apple chips for snacking, and a stack of ready-to-bake pies went into the freezer. But not only pies went in the freezer. Bags and bags of sliced apples, waiting for cakes, pies, jams and more still fill the freezer. I need to make room for fresh things from this season!

Apple cake has always been a favorite of mine. It's easy to mix up and get in the oven. No need to haul out the big Kitchenaid- you can mix this up with a whisk in a bowl. The bonus is, it's a great way to use up all those sliced apples in the freezer. It's homey, old-fashioned and reminds me of old church cookbook recipes.

I had canned apples, frozen apples, apple butter, apple sauce......

To make the cake you need:

2 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups sliced, peeled apples (I am using frozen)

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (black walnuts are excellent)

In bowl, stir together dry ingredients and set aside. In large bowl whisk eggs and oil together until well combined. Whisk in sugars and vanilla until completely combined. Gradually mix in dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Don't worry if the batter seems dry- it should be a lot like cookie dough.

During baking the apples release enough liquid to moisten the cake. Fold in apples and walnuts.

I used pecans because that's what I had on hand.

Spread the mixture into a greased and floured cake pan (I am using a 9x13 pan) and spread and "smoosh" it down evenly. 

Bake in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes in a 9x13 pan, or 55-60 minutes in a Bundt pan. You can also bake this batter in muffin tins (bake about 20-25 minutes) and then pop them in the freezer for easy-to-thaw snacks or even breakfast. **Note- since I am working with frozen sliced apples I am adding about 8-10 minutes to my baking time. If you use frozen, be sure and allow for that. DO NOT thaw apples first though. They won't fold in, they will break up.

My mom often added raisins to this cake too, which is super delicious. You will want to eat this one up fast- the apples keep the cake so moist. You can serve this cake with a dollop of whipped cream but you DEFINITELY don't need frosting. A drizzle of caramel sauce on the plate before adding the cake looks elegant, but go easy on the caramel with this rich cake. It also looks pretty with a little sprinkle of confectioners' sugar dusted over the top- but do so immediately before serving as the cake is so moist it will melt the sugar after a bit. 

Keep an eye out for more apple recipes coming up soon- I have A LOT to use up.