Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. ― Oscar Wilde
I believe every once in awhile a decadent treat is called for. When eating a slice of this apple spice cake I am taken back to my carefree childhood days of autumn when life was simple and the only thing that mattered was having a big slice of apple spice cake encased in penuche frosting and washed down with a tall frosty glass of milk.
Apple Spice Cake
2013-10-15 21:11:53
Ingredients
- 1 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/3 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Apple Pie Spice or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups peeled, cored, chopped apple, about 1 1/3 pounds whole apples
To make the Penuche frosting
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup hot milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- powdered sugar (about 3 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" pan.
To make the cake
- Mix all of the ingredients except the apples in a large bowl.
- Beat until well combined; the mixture will be very stiff, and may even be crumbly.
- Add the apples, and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the stiff mixture becomes a thick batter, Don't get discouraged and be tempted to add milk. Keep mixing, the apples will eventually release their juice and the batter will become wet. This may take a few minutes.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with your wet fingers. You will have chunks of apple throughout the batter.
- Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few wet crumbs clinging to it.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a rack to cool completely; don't remove the cake from the pan.
To make the Penuche frosting
- Melt butter in a large saucepan.
- Add brown sugar, salt and allow sugar to dissolve, stirring constantly. Once sugar has dissolved continue to stir for 1 minute. Butter will not be completely incorporated. Remove from heat.
- Let set 15 minutes. Stirring once or twice.
- Once cool, mix in hot milk. stir well.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until penuche is at desired consistency.
- Spread immediately on cooled apple spice cake.
Notes
- A little thinner penuche is better than too thick for spreading onto the apple spice cake. Once frosting cools completely, slight crust will develop.
- Serve with tall frosty glass of milk.
Adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/grandmas-penuche-frosting-22376?oc=linkback, http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/old-fashioned-apple-cake-with-brown-sugar-frosting-recipe
Adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/grandmas-penuche-frosting-22376?oc=linkback, http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/old-fashioned-apple-cake-with-brown-sugar-frosting-recipe
Pure Grace Farms http://puregracefarms.com/
Oh my goodness. My dad loves Penuche! Going to make him this. I have everything but the wheat flour. Would it be ok to use regular flour or should I put that on my grocery list?
I am planning on making this cake sometime this week. My apples are ripe for the picking. One more thing on my list of to do’s. Thanks for stopping by.
Blessings,
Shari