Apple Butter Cake

Sadie's Apple Butter Cake

After 12 hours of cooking the Apples for Apple Butter (recipe on previous BLOG); you end up with the most delicious Apple Butter that is tasty and ready to eat.  You can make so many things with Apple Butter; such as, cookies, breads, cakes, use as a spread and much more.  I decided to test a cake with a standard cake recipe and it turned out absolutely delicious, it was moist and the texture was just perfect.  It made a great dessert cake served with some creme fraiche and/or a very nice cake in the morning with tea or coffee.

This cake reminded me of the British version of the Malt Loaf; very similar flavors and texture.  Enjoy!



Moist, sweet and Delicious!





Sadie's Apple Butter Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon unsalted sweet butter

1 1/4 cup Apple Butter

3/4 cup organic brown sugar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 egg (gently beaten)

1/2 cup heavy cream (you can substitute for milk)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup of sultanas or raisins

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Prepare a round cake pan (I used a 10 x 3 round cake) with a light coat of butter or cooking spray and a light coat of flour (shake off excess flour).

Sift all dry ingredients together: Flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and sultanas and set aside.

Melt butter on low heat until it becomes golden brown (do not overcook butter).  Add butter into a mixing bowl with Apple Butter, brown sugar, olive oil and mix until all ingredients are combined to a smooth consistency.  To the Apple Butter mixture, add beaten egg, cream or milk, vanilla and mix just until combined.  Add dry ingredients to mixture a little at a time until well combined.

Pour cake mixture into round baking pan and bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until pierced with a toothpick and it comes out clean.  

Cool cake for about 10 minutes and then remove from pan to cool completely or serve warm.

Serve this cake with a dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream and/or even with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Chef Notes:

I use all organic ingredients when available.  I used a homemade Apple Butter, but you can buy Apple Butter at any grocery store in your area.  Also, you can substitute the Apple Butter for a Pear Butter or even a Pumpkin Butter for the holidays!

Buon Appetito!

Apple Butter

It is that time of the season where the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg come to play in Autumn and Winter cuisine.  It is my favorite time of the year! 

Making Apple Butter in the slow cooker brings a delightful aroma to your kitchen and it is such a great way to accompany some of your desserts and entrees.  I use it in my special "Bran Muffin Top" recipe, cookies, cakes, fish (especially on cedar planked salmon), chicken and even on pork chops. I make plenty of it to keep on hand through the winter (if it lasts that long).  You can freeze the apple butter (I usually portion out 1 cup at a time and freeze in individual bags) or if you know how to preserve your food by "Canning", it is best to preserve in this method.  Here is a link to the "Ball Company" on how to preserve foods and they also give you "step by step" for freezing and preserving. http://www.freshpreserving.com/ 

This recipe can be adjusted to your liking; I have found that using less sugar is best, depending on the apples that you use.  I prefer sweeter crisp apples such as Honeycrisp, Gala and Jonagold apples that are available in Washington during September and October season.  I do add a Granny or two to this recipe, for the tart flavor, but you can use any apple of your choice.  Also, just remember that the sweeter apples that you may choose for this recipe, do not need as much sugar.

Happy Autumn Season! This photo is from our yard and our neighbors tree; what a lovely site to see nature in the works, during Autumn.

APPLE BUTTER RECIPE

in a Slow Cooker

6 pounds of apples -approximately 20- 25 apples (choose different apples such as Honeycrisp and Gala)

2 Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup apple juice (use organic) - I use Washington's Gala Apple Juice

1 1/2 cups organic brown sugar

1-2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (I add 2 tablespoons as I love the cinnamon taste)

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Peel, core and slice apples. 

2.  Place apples in slow cooker with apple juice (I own a 7 Quart slow cooker and it is a little large, but it works well). 

3.  Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt  

4.  Add dry mixture to apples and juice and mix well.

5.  Cover slow cooker and cook for 10-12 hours on low setting.

6.  Stir occasionally (I never have to until the end)

7. Taste for sweetness.  If you need more sweetness (to your taste) you can add more brown sugar 1/4 cup at a time during cook time.  Again, depending on the sweetness of your apples, you may not need to add more sugar.

8.  Cool and place in sterile containers to preserve (if there are a lot of juices in your slow cooker, place in a colander until most of the juices drain and then add to containers. You can use the juice for other recipes).

Apple Butter on Fruit and Nut Crostini

Note: Anjou Bakery in Cashmere, WA makes the most delicious Fruit and Nut Crostini.  Sold in many local grocery stores and at Whole Foods.  http://www.anjoubakery.com/

CHEF NOTE: You can use this same recipe to make Pear Butter. Yes, it is absolutely delicious and again, it can be used in many of your recipes as well.  If you decide to make Pear Butter, omit the juice in the recipe; all else is the same.  Pear Butter tastes great on Swordfish, Halibut and Chicken.

                                              Buon Appetito