Apple Cinnamon Cake

I take issue with the original name of this recipe: apple brownies. There is not, nor should there be, even a hint of chocolate in the whole shebang, and as any human who breathes air knows, you can’t have a brownie without chocolate.

I contemplated changing the name of the recipe to apple blondies, but that would mess up the nomenclature even further, since the signature ingredient in a blondie is brown sugar, which is nowhere to be found in this recipe.

So ultimately, I settled on apple cinnamon cake — the bars taste and look more like cake anyway, so really, I’m doing you guys a favor. Also, I’m pretty sure the only person who cared about any of this is yours truly.

In what is a weird-but-not-surprising coincidence, this is the third year in a row that I’ve posted about apple cake on or around Sept. 24. (Two years ago, it was Apple Yogurt Cake. Last year, it was Applesauce Cake.) Late September in New York is crisp, bright mornings, crunchy ochre leaves, apples and pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.* It’s cinnamon and nutmeg and a dash of ground ginger, an impossibly perfect blend of aromas that makes me swoon when in a baked good, but gag when in a candle. (Am I the only one who has this problem?)

This Apple Cinnamon cake-blondie-brownie-thing, like the others on this site, definitely embraces “late September.” Apple chunks soften into plush folds of buttery cake, sharpened by a little extra salt and the cinnamon. It’s also a cinch to make, especially if you’re lazy like me and don’t peel the apples. I think there are a million ways to switch it up (honey, brown sugar, nutmeg, whole wheat flour, etc.), but it’s wonderful as is, a little taste of fall.

*Most importantly, late September begins the countdown to mah birfday, which is now less than a fortnight away!* I’m trying to plan what kind of cake to make and am totally stumped. Polka-dotted pink and funfetti are off the table — anyone have ideas on what to do next?

Apple Cinnamon Cake
Recipe from Martha Stewart

I’m still trying to figure out my new oven, so my top got a little err … overbrowned, shall we say? The cake was fine underneath, so stick with this baking time and make sure your racks are in the middle, rather than at the top.

– 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

– 1 cup all-purpose flour

– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

– 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

– 3/4 teaspoon salt

– 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

– 1 cup sugar

– 1 large egg

– 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

– 2 large firm-sweet apples (about 1 pound total), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 3/4 cups)*

*I used Gala apples and didn’t peel them, mostly due to sheer laziness. Your call.

1) Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 7-x-11-inch baking dish.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and egg with a mixer until pale and fluffy.

3) Stir in the walnuts and apples until combined. Add in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

4) Spread the batter in the prepared pan, and bake until golden brown and slightly firm, 35-40 minutes. Cool the bars on a wire rack, then cut it into pieces.