This post may contain affiliate links that cost you nothing, but may earn us a small commission
During our annual trip to Tennessee, I found my absolute favorite apple variety from childhood–Arkansas Black apples!
Unfortunately, they don’t taste the same as I remember, but I didn’t discover that until we had bought a half peck of them.
We also bought a peck of apples from the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown fundraiser, so we had LOTS of apples!
I made apple fritters, curried turkey salad with apples (with leftover Thanksgiving turkey), and this Granny Smith Apple Cake.
It’s super easy, not overly sweet, has a nice fine crumb, and is great with a glass of milk!
What you’ll need:
6 medium granny smith apples (or whatever variety you have on hand)
1 cup, plus 5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups cake flour (if you can’t find it in your grocer, this is the brand that I use
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Start by peeling and chopping the apples into small chunks, then toss them with 5 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixer bowl, beat eggs on low and add sugar, beating until combined.
Add half of the cake flour, the baking powder, and the salt, then add the oil, orange juice, and vanilla.
Beat until combined, then add the rest of the flour. Beat just until combined.
Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan.
I like to use shortening and flour because my pan is old and not very non-stick anymore, but you can also use cooking spray if your pan is better than mine!
Evenly sprinkle half of the apples over the batter, then pour the rest of the batter over the apples.
Finish by sprinkling the rest of the apples onto the batter layer, and bake 60-70 minutes, or until the cake is browned and starting to pull away from the pan sides, and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Cool 15 minutes and remove from the pan. Let cool completely before serving.
As you can see, the cake will be chock full of apple chunks! You can serve as-is, with ice cream, with a caramel, custard, or bourbon sauce, or just with a sprinkle of confectioners sugar.