Olive Oil Apple Cake
It seems like everyone is having babies or trying to have babies. And no, we’re not. It sounds like it could be a good time, but there’s still a few two-person things we want to do before we add someone else to the party.
Pretty much every aspect of having a family sounds scary to me right now, but one of the things I like thinking about is having a Sunday dinner. I’m not talking about breaking out the china (we don’t have any anyway), but I’m thinking more along the lines of meatballs simmering in sauce, or a chicken roasting in the oven for a few hours. I love the idea of a solid meal on a night when people don’t really have anywhere else to be but home, and when you might have a little bit of time in the afternoon to really enjoy cooking something that you wouldn’t want to cook on a weeknight.
This apple cake is a perfect Sunday night dinner dessert. It is seriously, seriously easy and honestly the best apple cake I have ever had. It takes no time to put it together, and you don’t even need to break out you stand mixer. I took a few baking classes when I was in culinary school and I learned all about tunneling, tempering, and over-whipping. You don’t need to know about any of that to make this cake. You don’t even have to leave butter out to get soft. The ingredients are so simple, and I guarantee you have them in your pantry.
I love that this cake is made when olive oil. The nuttiness of the oil really gives it a nice depth of flavor and keeps the cake very moist. I’ve also shredded the apples in this recipe so that they really bake into the cake and give it more uniformity instead of big bites of apple. I made this cake three times in the past week and once sprinkled it with powdered sugar, once topped it with this maple frosting, and once left it untouched. All three ways were well received.
No pie crust making, no cookie-scooping, and the perfect way to make your kitchen smell like it should on a Sunday, this cake is definitely worth a try. I’d love to hear about it if you do.
Have fun!
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 granny smith apples, peeled and shredded
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- Preheat oven to 350, and butter and flour a 9 by 13 pan (or a 9 by 9 pan if you want to make a smaller cake and just half the recipe).
- Whisk together eggs and olive oil in a large bowl. Add vanilla and apples and combine.
- Whisk together sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, kosher salt in a medium bowl.
- Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just mixed. Add walnuts and mix in.
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until a little brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- Let cool completely before frosting, or enjoy warm.
- This makes one 9 by 13 cake, but could also make 2- 9 inch round cakes for layering.
- I've made it both with a salted caramel sauce and a maple frosting which are both nice. It is super moist and tender on its own too.
October 23, 2017 @ 11:35 am
This cake looks amazing! I want to make it now, but where is the recipe? Did you forget it, or am I missing something?
October 23, 2017 @ 3:59 pm
Hi Kelly!! Total flop on my part- I updated something yesterday and must have deleted the recipe code. It’s up now! I’m so sorry!
October 23, 2017 @ 4:54 pm
Thanks, Mary! I’m excited to try this recipe! I miss you at school. I’m working on my Culinary degree now-one class at a time.
October 23, 2017 @ 6:55 pm
Nice Kelly!! So awesome! Wish I was back in school with you!
October 28, 2017 @ 2:36 pm
pretty glorious cake, mary!!
you’re wise to get those two-person bucket list items checked off first! 😉
October 29, 2017 @ 12:05 pm
Thanks!! Hope you guys are enjoying your little one:)