CINNAMON APPLE CAKE
When December rolls around, one thing becomes inevitable: fruit cakes popping up in every store like holiday-themed confetti. And honestly? Even one fruit cake is one too many for me. Something about their gummy texture and mysterious mix-ins doesn’t spark any holiday joy.
This month’s Foodie Extravaganza theme? Yep, fruit cake. I nearly bowed out of the challenge, but then I had a delicious idea: why not reinterpret fruit cake in a way I’d actually want to eat? So I did. I swapped candied mystery bits for juicy apples and warm spices, and the result? A cinnamon apple cake that disappeared almost as fast as I made it. (Okay, I shared generously—but my family didn’t hold back either.)
If traditional fruit cake makes you cringe, I think this cozy, fragrant cake might win you over. Scroll to the end of this post for 8 more fruit cake creations that reimagine the genre.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Butter, softened | ½ cup |
| Brown sugar | ½ cup |
| White sugar | ½ cup |
| All-purpose flour | 2¼ cups |
| Oat flour | 1 cup |
| Eggs | 2 |
| Salt | 1 tsp |
| Baking soda | 1½ tsp |
| Ground cinnamon | 3 Tbsp |
| Ground ginger | ½ tsp |
| Unsweetened applesauce | 2 cups |
| Diced apples | 3 cups |
| Chopped pecans | 1½ cups |
| Powdered sugar | 1 cup |
| Milk | 2 Tbsp |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp |
👩🍳 Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan thoroughly.
- Cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time.
- Stir in salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger.
- Gradually add both flours and mix until fully incorporated.
- Mix in the applesauce.
- Gently fold in the apples and pecans.
- Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While cake cools, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Adjust consistency with more sugar or milk as needed.
- Transfer glaze to a piping bag (or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped) and decorate cooled cake.
- Slice, serve, and watch it disappear!
