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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Make this one-bowl, one-whisk apples and honey cake, using extra virgin olive oil as the fat and measuring the oil before the honey so the honey slides out of the cup. The cake is built on applesauce, apple cider, pumpkin pie spice, and a mix of white and brown sugar, and it is baked in a decorative pan that comes apart for serving.
Key Points
- The batter combines flour, baking powder and baking soda, kosher salt, white and brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in one bowl, then adds eggs, applesauce, apple cider, vanilla, oil, and honey.
- Extra virgin olive oil is used deliberately: the speaker jokingly says using it is 'against her religion' to use margarine instead, calls olive oil a healthy fat, and says it adds fruity flavor.
- Brown sugar contributes smokiness and moisture, while white sugar is needed for the cake's chemistry.
- Apple cider's acidity is said to help activate the baking powder.
- The cake is designed to be pulled apart and shared, and the decorative pan is suited to gifting.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Add 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour to a bowl, then add the baking powder and baking soda, kosher salt, a mix of white and brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk.
- Add 3 eggs, applesauce, apple cider, and vanilla, and whisk again.
- Measure 1 cup extra virgin olive oil first, then measure 3/4 cup honey in the same cup so the honey slides out easily. Add both to the bowl.
- Whisk everything together until combined, cleaning up as you go.
- Grease the pan thoroughly with olive oil, paying extra attention to decorated pans so the cake does not stick.
- Pour the batter into the pan and set the oven to 325 degrees.
- Once the cake has cooled, decorate it by snipping the ends off honey sticks and drizzling honey over the top, or dusting with powdered sugar, which can also hide sticking or pan mistakes.
- The speaker recommends a decorative disposable paper loaf pan (two are needed for this recipe) or a bundt pan as alternatives.
- Honey sticks are easier to control for drizzling than a honey bear, and children can help with this step.
- The transcript does not state baking time or the final batter quantities for the applesauce and apple cider.
Bottom Line
A simple, fast cake that relies on a one-bowl method and a measuring trick, best made with olive oil and finished with honey for a fall or holiday treat.
