Fresh Apple Cake
July 22, 2009 { }
When I read Shirley’s (Gluten-Free Easily) theme for July’s Go Ahead Honey, it’s Gluten Free – Camp Food – I was thrilled. I don’t camp much anymore, but we went camping all of the time when I was growing up. Quickly, I went back through all the foods I loved from those weekends outdoors and what stuck out in my mind the most was apple cake. (July’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free will be published at Gluten-Free Easily at the end of this month. Make sure to check it out!)
My mom still cooked like we were at home when we camped. She had a green propane Coleman stove and made eggs, bacon, hamburgers, baked apples, baked beans, steamed veggies…you’d think that planning, purchasing, and keeping all of that food cold would make one take a big short-cut. Maybe feed the kids Pop Tarts or donuts. Or even throw in a few Lunchables. Not Sheila. Not a chance.
My all-time favorite camp food was apple cake. She’d either make it ahead of time or, if we were camping near my Granny’s house, she’d bake it there. I’d help her chop the apples and mix the ingredients, making sure to stick my finger in the batter when she wasn’t looking.
I called my mom and asked if she remembered the cake, hoping she’d have a recipe I could work with. “No, not particularly,” she replied. For a second, I wondered how she could forget. Then, in my heart I knew the answer – it was never about her cake. It was always about taking care of her family. I think that’s one of the reasons I am an avid reader of Amy’s The Finer Things In Life – she loves her family the way my mom loves us.
I’m much more like my mom than I readily admit. We both love people by doing things for them. I realized that this week when my husband called to tell me that he has a business trip coming up, that he loves me, and then said he was going to miss me so much. “Can I get anything ready for you?” I asked. I could hear his smile through on the other end of the phone, knowing that that’s one way I love him right back.
My slightly sweet apple cake is really lots of fresh apples thinly sliced and held together by just enough batter, which makes it really moist. It’s sweetened with apple juice concentrate and raisin buttermilk. (see note below) It’s a variation of an apple cake from Cooking Light by Martha Rose Shulman. I love her approach to food – fresh, flavorful, and healthy. This is my kind of dessert.
This post also part of:
What Can I Eat that’s Gluten Free? at The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Go Ahead, Honey – It’s Gluten Free at Gluten-Free Easily
(update 9/18 : submitted to The Friday Foodie Fix at The WHOLE Gang)
Fresh Apple Cake
serves 102 ¾ pounds Gala apples
1 lemon, juiced
½ c. gluten-free flour blend
3 T. quinoa flakes
1 ½ t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
¼ t. allspice
1 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
pinch of salt
¼ c. butter, at room temperature
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
¼ c. raisin-sweetened buttermilk
1/3 c. apple juice concentrate, unsweetened
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. lemon zest
1 t. orange zestPreheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 10 inch springform pan.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze the lemon juice into the water. Peel and thinly slice the apples, placing them into the water when finished. This keeps them from turning brown.
Combine gluten-free flour blend, quinoa flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and continue to beat. The butter will be a little clumpy. Add buttermilk, apple juice concentrate, vanilla, lemon zest, and orange zest and mix well.
Drain apples, shaking off extra water. Place back into the large bowl.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until combined. Pour batter over apples and toss, coating apples thoroughly. Turn the apples into the prepared pan, using a rubber spatula to scrape all of the batter out then smooth out the top so the apple slices are laying flat.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until batter is set and apples are soft but not mushy.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then run a spatula between the cake and the edge of the pan and release.
*To make raisin sweetened buttermilk, chop 1/8 cup of raisins. Soak in ½ cup buttermilk for 24 hours. Strain the buttermilk before using. Use the raisins in any bread or muffin recipe.
Enjoy!
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23 Responses to “Fresh Apple Cake”
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Meet Amy Green
Nearly 6 years of living free of refined sugars and gluten has stopped my food cravings enabled me to maintain a 60+ pound weight loss. Today I live with enormous freedom. Join me as I create healthier food that's SS&GF and delicious. I hope to help you do the same. Read more about my story here.
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All photos and text (unless otherwise noted) on Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free are my own creations - and my intellectual property, all rights reserved. Please do not publish my work without my consent. Of course, you can use my work as inspiration to build upon (what a gift it would be to inspire others!) and in that case a link back would be appreciated. Copyright 2009, all rights reserved.
July 22nd, 2009 @ 11:10 am
It looks delicious. I’ve never heard of raisin sweetened buttermilk. Thanks for sharing!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Hi Linda – it’s a great way to add flavor without any sugar. You can really sweeten any liquid with raisins or dates. Glad you stopped by.
[Reply]
July 22nd, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
Hi – just found you over at Kelly the Kitchen Kops hosting of Real Food Wednesdays. It’s always nice to find good Gluten free sites. I’ll be back. I’ve added you to my blog side bar and your button. My husband has Celiac’s.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Pamela – So glad you found me. Thank you!! I’m grateful that you’ve found my site helpful.
[Reply]
July 22nd, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
Wow! I’ve never heard of raisin sweetened buttermilk. I bet that’s great for baking!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Cheryl – I think it’s fabulous for baking.
Especially for those of us who don’t eat refined sugar. Thanks for stopping by.
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July 22nd, 2009 @ 1:39 pm
What a delicious recipe.I’d love to guide our readers to your site if you won’t mind.Just add your choice of foodista widget to this post and it’s all set to go, Thanks!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Alisa – Thank you. So glad you liked the cake.
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July 22nd, 2009 @ 2:38 pm
You’re sweet. Thanks for the mention. Love the new look!
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July 22nd, 2009 @ 5:39 pm
Amy! Your site is so gorgeous!! This cake sounds yummy. Where do you find raisin-sweetened buttermilk?
Thanks for the inspiration about having such a servant’s heart.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 1st, 2009 at 10:13 pm
You make raisin-sweetened buttermilk by soaking 1/4 cup of raisins in 1 cup of buttermilk for 24 hours.
[Reply]
July 24th, 2009 @ 9:37 am
Great cake. We pick apples each fall and this would be fun to make with the kids. I hope you’ll swing by my recipe exchange too. I shared a yummy baked flounder recipe and love collecting other inspired ideas:
http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2009/07/friday-feasts-baked-flounder.html
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 28th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Hi Nicole. I did – I love your blog carnival and highly recommend it to anyone who likes to cook good food. You have a great blog, too.
Thanks for stopping by!
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July 26th, 2009 @ 7:43 pm
Wow! Amy you sound so much like me! I like gluten and sugar free too and I love your website! I don’t eat dairy right now but maybe in the future I could. Anyway, this recipe looks amazing and I love your site! If you want, you can check out my new site too http://www.foodintolerancescook.wordpress.com
You’re my hero! 
Again, thank you for creating this blog! I absolutely love it!:)
pS. do you know how hard it is to find a gluten and dairy free blog!?! Especially that uses agave and fruit to sweeten?
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 28th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Hi Ariana,
Welcome to my site & the world of blogging. The ‘food issues’ community is a wonderful place to be. Regardless of WHAT your food problems are, you will find love and support beyond measure.
You have a neat blog. Thanks for sharing it with us!
[Reply]
July 28th, 2009 @ 10:20 am
Amy–What a great post! Hey, didn’t everyone cook on the green Coleman stove back in the day? I know we did. And, you’re right, you can make some great meals camping although I confess that we all had a fondness for the occasional Pop Tart before we went gluten free. (I did like mine toasted over the campfire though. LOL)
This recipe looks and sounds wonderful.
I had just read recently how raisins could be used instead of dates for another natural, lower cost sweetener. It’s funny how your mom didn’t remember, but moms have so much on their plate, don’t they? And, the pun is intended because taking care of families with good food is certainly near the top of the list.
Thanks for participating in GAHIGF! Hope your readers will join in, too. There’s still a little time. Just click in the link you included above.
Shirley
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
July 28th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Hi Shirley – Thanks again for hosting. I saw Naomi’s recipe and felt a little out-done, but hey, it’s Naomi. What else can I say??
My mom loved the post. This was a wonderful way for me to pay just a little well-deserved tribute to her for the wonderful life she gave me.
I hope some of my readers join in, too. This is a fun event and a wonderful way to make good friends in the GF Blog World.
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August 1st, 2009 @ 11:47 am
[...] Amy of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free agreed that a piece of her Fresh Apple Cake would also be quite fine for breakfast and we were very grateful. She told us how her mom had [...]
August 1st, 2009 @ 6:51 pm
Looks delicious! When I was younger and my family went camping, we cooked like we did at home too – the apple cake looks great!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 1st, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Hi Jenn – Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. Aren’t those family memories wonderful!
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August 8th, 2009 @ 11:06 am
I love all types of apple cakes – this looks so good! Thanks for sharing!
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September 20th, 2009 @ 7:14 pm
This looks great. Thank you for sharing it on Friday Foodie Fix.
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November 27th, 2009 @ 9:00 am
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