Apple Pound Cake
Barbara Speer, one of my mother’s closest friends, is a gem of a lady who always has a smile on her face and warm words to share. Barbara is also a wonderful supporter of Desserts Required. She posts comments on the blog (which I LOVE) and she emails me, as well.
Last week, Barbara popped me an email and at the end of it commented that she was looking forward to my Rosh Hashanah recipes. I would not call my immediate reaction one of ‘panic;’ but it did dawn on me that it was most definitely time to focus on the holiday.
Around the same time that Barbara sent me the email, Liz Balmaseda, the Food Editor of the Palm Beach Post, contacted me about baking a recipe for a story she was working on for the holidays. We opted for Cookie Baked Apple Pie, because it is both unusual and incredibly delicious.
As I was sautéing the apples over the stove for the Cookie Baked Apple Pie, I thought that these would also be a fabulous way to incorporate apples into other desserts. Apples are typically dipped in honey at Rosh Hashanah to symbolize the sweetness of the New Year. I am not a lover of honey, as a main dessert ingredient, so the apples would have to shine alone.
Well, not exactly alone, but rather with some other ingredients to pull a dessert together. I decided that a sour cream cake with baked apples mixed in would be divine. I first tried to incorporate 2/3’s of the apples into the batter and have a ‘surprise’ layer of apples in the middle of the cake. This failed, because the cake pretty much came apart at the middle seam.
Not to be dissuaded by a line around the cake that resembled the fault line of an earthquake, I dusted the top with confectioners sugar and served it at a luncheon. Everyone loved the taste. I knew I was on to something.
The second round brought me to the realization that 5 apples were just too many for one cake to incorporate. Given that the flavor was so good, I decided to give the cake a third try. Just as Goldilocks discovered in her world, my cake was just right.
Apple Pound Cake is bursting with cinnamon flavored baked apples that are mixed into the sour cream cake base before being transferred to the pan. The aroma permeating the kitchen while it bakes is heavenly. Additionally, the moistness from the apples and sour cream will keep you coming back for one more slice.
To Barbara and all of my family and friends observing Rosh Hashanah, L’Shana Tova Tikatevu – “May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for a good year.”
| Apple Pound Cake | | Print |
- Apples:
- 2¼ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3½ golden delicious apples
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- Juice of ¼ of a lemon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Cake:
- 2¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2½ cups sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- confectioners sugar
- For the apples:
- Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Peel and core the apples and slice in large wedges (there will be about 8 wedges per apple). Cut each wedge in half and add to the pan. Sauté the apples, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon over medium heat, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring periodically. Uncover and continue to cook the apples until they are soft and the juices in the pan have evaporated. Cool completely.
- For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325˚. Set aside a 14 cup bundt pan.
- Whisk flour and baking soda together in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add in vanilla.
- On low speed, mix in one-half of the dry ingredients then add the sour cream. Add the remaining dry ingredients, scraping the bowl down in between additions. Gently fold the cooled apples into the cake batter.
- Grease the bundt pan (I prefer Baker’s Joy® for this cake) with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 325˚ for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.
- Dust with confectioners sugar once the cake cools.
- Betsy's tidbit:
- Apple Pound Cake freezes beautifully.
Betsy,
I love apple crumb cakes and this apple pound cake sounds lovely. What a sweet way to end a Rosh Hashana dinner.
L’Shana Tova to you and the entire Cohen family!
Thank you so much Faith. I wish all of you a sweet and healthy new year.
Thanks to you and Barb. Must give this one a try for my bridge group and a luncheon I am having next week. Sounds delicious and this recipe is sending me to bed dreaming of apples and cinnamon dancing in my head.
Best wishes to you and your family for a sweet, healthy happy peaceful New Year. Dick joins me in love to all, Carol
What a wonderful dream! I can’t wait to hear how your cake turns out. I am sure it will be delicious.
My love to you and Dick,
Betsy
I am bringing an apple cake to dinner on Sunday night and will try this recipe instead of the one I was going to use. Thanks Betsy for keeping the inspiration and creativeness in simple baking alive. I will let you know the responses. Happy new year.
Xoxo
Pam
Thanks Pam. I look forward to hearing the reviews!
Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy new year.
The Apple Cake was a little too good for me. I had intended to take only a slice and take the rest to friends. Instead it appears that I ate the rest and took a slice to friends. It was wonderful. I thought it was perfect as is—–very moist and flavored just right with the cinnamon; my friends did have one suggestion, mainly because a couple of them got slices without apples (those who got the apples in their slice wouldn’t change a thing). They would like to see it with more apples. How do you think that will affect the baking and is there a possibility that you can try it, yourself, with more apples, since I’m only good at following what you tell me to do? I am not adept at experimenting. Many thanks for another delectable cake.
Thanks so much M. for your feedback. I am so glad you commented about the number of apples. I just finished experimenting (again) with the number of apples and increased them from the original recipe. The above recipe reflects this change.
had some apple filling, was going to make turnovers, then saw your recipe. my apples were already cooked, similar to your instructions, just smaller (more suited to turnovers), it’s in the oven, don’t know if my bundt pan is big enough, almost to the edge, will let you know how it comes out, making a lemon glaze as well. thanks very much for the recipe and photos, love photos!
Abette,
Thanks so much for your comment. I can’t wait to hear how your cake turned out. I love the lemon glaze idea!
This cake was out of this world. I am so incredibly picky this cake was out of this world scrumptious. I’m really picky about cakes being dry or gummy or too sweet or just mediocre. This cake was better than superb. I’ve made it twice already. I took it to work and was gone in no time. second time(made for family visiting over the thanksgiving week) it was probably gone maybe just a bit longer than no time. What I love about this cake it’s so easy it’s so forgiving( I’m never precise, always changing on the fly). I love this so much I came back to your site for a cheesecake. Thanks for the photos and a ‘keeper’ recipe!
Abette,
Thank you so much for all your lovely comments! Greatly appreciated!!
Betsy: I made this recipe tonight and it made my house smell wonderful. We ate the crumbs from the pan after the cake was cooled on a pan. Yum!
Lisa,
I love reading this. Thank you for taking the time to let me know!!
Made this for my daughter’s wedding brunch. This cake is delicious!
Sally,
I LOVE reading this!
Congratulations on your daughter’s wedding and thank you for allowing Desserts Required to be a part of the festivities!!
Can you please tell me, approximately, how many cups 3 1/2 apples makes? I have three fairly large apples in my refrigerator. I don’t know whether they will be adequate or if I should buy another apple. Also, they are not golden delicious. Is there a reason why you used golden delicious?
Maxine,
I don’t know how many cups 3-1/2 apples makes only because I have never measured apples before. In my pies and cakes, I have always just based it on the number of apples. If the apples are in season (winter months), I know that they tend to be larger. Right now, during our summer months, they are smaller so I would probably go with four apples.
Use whichever apples look best in the store and/or are what you enjoy eating the most.
I hope this helps!
Thank you. I appreciate your response. It’s a big help.
I’m so glad!
I made it and it’s gorgeous. Sorry I can’t attach a photo. Obviously, modesty is not my strong suit.
This makes me super duper happy!!! <3
Out of this world!!!! Everyone flipped over it—–after they ate it all! Light, moist and refreshing. I, always, thought pound cakes were heavy. Not this one! Perfect.
I am thrilled to read this and proud of you for sharing!! <3