Recipe: Apple Nut Cake

Apple Nut Cake

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 tablespoon salt (optional)
1 cup lightly packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 small baking apples, cored and sliced thinly (Use Granny Smith, Cortland, Rome etc. Do not use Maclntosh or Red Delicious)

Nut Topping

1/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup of pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch spring form and set aside. In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and salt (optonal).

In a large bowl, with electric mixer, beat brown sugar, olive oil and applesauce until well mixed. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth. Spoon batter into greased pan and arrange apple slices in overlapping circles. Cover top with aluminum foil. Bake cake for 55 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare topping by sautéing nuts in the olive oil until golden. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and remove from heat.

Sprinkle topping over hot cake and continue to bake the cake, still covered, for 20-25 minutes more or until cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove foil and place pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove rim from pan and cool cake completely before serving.

Makes 8 servings.