Not too long ago I mentioned that apples and cinnamon make a perfect match. If you need any formal proof for the statement, look no further, this is it. Absolutely perfect for the season, this cake keeps the apples in chunks that get deliciously sweet and soft during baking. It reminded me a bit of a famous cake by Dorie Greenspan. But this version includes oats for a slightly more substantial cake. Let’s say it walks through a rustic path I am quite fond of. Complex flavors, delicious topping… The recipe comes from Pastry Studio, a blog I visit all the time and cook from regularly. As usual, Gayle’s bench notes are perfect guidelines to highlight what is important when preparing the cake, as well as her rationale while designing the recipe. A nice lesson in baking is what I always find when I stop by her site.
APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL CAKE
(from Pastry Studio)
for the streusel:
1/3 cup (1 5/8 oz) flour
1/3 cup (1 oz) old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch allspice
2 oz (4 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) molasses
for the cake:
2 medium (about 13 oz) apples
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 oz) flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
pinch nutmeg
1 cup (3 oz) old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup (6 oz) apple juice
1/2 cup (4 oz) canola oil
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup (4 oz) milk at room temperature
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9” square cake pan and line with parchment, leaving a short overhang on two sides.
To prepare the streusel, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar and spices. Cut the cold butter into 1/4” pieces and add. Toss until coated with the dry ingredients and drizzle the molasses. Using your fingers or a fork, press the butter pieces until they break off into smaller pieces and the mixture clumps together and is crumbly with large and small chunks. Chill until ready to use.
Peel, core and cut the apples into small cubes. You should have about 2 cups. Toss the apples with lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Set aside. Combine the oats and apple juice and set aside for about 5 minutes.
In another bowl, whisk the oil, both sugars and eggs until thoroughly blended. Add in the vanilla and oat and apple juice mixture. Mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with half the milk and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until there are no dry streaks of flour. Fold in the chopped apples. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out in an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 34 – 36 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Run a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the cake. Gently lift it out of the pan using the parchment overhang to assist. Using a platter, flip the cake over and peel off the parchment. Use another plate or platter to flip the cake right side up.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Reading Gayle’s bench notes you can tell she worked hard to perfect this cake. The batter is much more liquid than most cakes I’ve ever made, and it smells amazing as it bakes. The aroma seems to only get better as the cake sits and cools. Which brings me to the only tricky part of this recipe. Keeping the cake intact for 24 hours. Not easy. At some point Phil said if I did not cut it he would take matters into his own teeth and bite it. I was unmoved. Defended the cake as if my life depended on it. And it was worth it, because it is a cake that profits from a little time to itself, 24 hours left to evolve into its maximal deliciousness.
It was hard to wait for a full day before indulging, but worth it…
Look at the chunks of apple waiting for you…
ONE YEAR AGO: Sourdough Rye Bread with Flaxseeds and Oats
TWO YEARS AGO: Apricot-Raspberry Sorbet: A farewell to Summer
THREE YEARS AGO: Marcela’s Salpicon
FOUR YEARS AGO: Pork Kebabs
FIVE YEARS AGO: Fondant au Chocolat
SIX YEARS AGO: Got Spinach? Have a salad!
this really looks so yummy. gonna try this one of these days. thanks for the share 🙂
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you are more than welcome, it’s a nice season for apples….
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Sounds delightful but I need nutrition amounts.
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Sorry, I do not include nutritional info in any of my recipes. Some I might indicate if they are paleo or low carb but that’s about it. Just not my style, although I imagine I lose a lot of readers for it 😉 I hope you stick around….
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Sounds like a sturdy cake and with the dark brown sugar it bears a resemblance to a fruit cake. I can relate to not wanting to wait for 24 hrs to cut into it. There’s nothing like the smell of baked apples and cinnamon. 🙂
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The cake was gone in less than 2 hours once I brought it to the department – and I got a lot of compliments, although of course all credit should go to Gayle! Great cake….
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So much fantastic flavour!!!!
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I agree, I love everything about the cake… Hope you give it a try… 😉
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Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
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Thank you for the re=blog!
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It looks rich and comforting… an excellent afternoon treat to pair with a cup of coffee — or even to have for breakfast.
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Coffee or even tea I think would be perfect with this cake…. so moist and flavorful!
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Oh my I love apple cake, and this one looks loaded with goodies and so moist!
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Me too, I sometimes think apple cake is better than chocolate cake, and that is saying A LOT!
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I think I agree with you Sally, and that is definitely saying a lot.
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Sally, this looks so delicious!!! Apples and cinnamon….. Oh Em Gee! Love this!
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Oh Em Gee indeed!!!!! 😉
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This is my kind of cake Sally! I LOVE cinnamon and apples together – especially this time of year. Do you know when I was pregnant with Miss A I went through a phase where I HAD to have apple pie nightly. Fortunately I don’t crave it daily anymore, but this is the perfect cake for this time of year and I love that you can cut it into little bites. Perfect! Good job defending the uncut cake!
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Funny about the apple pie every night! at least it ended when you had Miss A, can you imagine if it didn’t? 😉 talk about excessive calories, no joke!
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I was going to type the same thing that Kristy said but I looked up just in time otherwise it would look like I copied her word for word. I know it’s Spring here but in my head it’s fall and I want apples in cakes and pies and in my hand. This is a lovely cake.
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It’s a great cake, and you would be totally fine if you repeated Kristy word for word – I have done this many times, as often I will read a blog post, comment without reading anyone else’s input… all fine amongst friends! 😉
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Apple Cinnamon and oats with some molasses added in. How can that Not taste good? How did you write all day and not indulge – that image of them cut up on the yellow plate is so tempting.
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