Apple Snacking
Spice Cake Recipe
from OXO Chef in Residence
Joanne Chang

With ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, this spiced apple cake from OXO Chef in Residence Joanne Chang will warm you up this fall.

Looking for a new go-to autumn dessert? Try Joanne Chang‘s signature recipe from her famed Flour Bakery(Opens in a new window) in Boston. Bursting with fall’s favorite fruit and warm spices, this decadently moist apple cake is an easy-to-make, yet impressive, way to cap off a meal. It’s excellent for brunch, too!

Celebrate Fall with Chef in Residence Joanne Chang's Apple Snacking Spice Cake

This recipe uses granny smith apples, but if you’ve gone apple picking and have tons of apples, we have a handy chart to help you decide what to make with your bushels of bounty. Plus, try even more of our easy apple recipes, plus a spiced apple shrub, a carbonated fall drink to go with your cake.

OXO tools you’ll need: apple peeler(Opens in a new window), knife(Opens in a new window), round cake pan(Opens in a new window), rubber spatula(Opens in a new window), bowl(Opens in a new window), sifter, half sheet baking tray(Opens in a new window) for toasting pecans, cutting board(Opens in a new window), wire cooling rack(Opens in a new window).

Apple Snacking Spice Cake

Courtesy OXO Chef in Residence Joanne Chang: Makes one 9-inch round cake

Ingredients:

1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (100 grams) cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
12 tablespoons (6 ounces; 170 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 eggs
4 cups (450 grams) peeled and chopped granny smith apples (2 to 3 medium apples)
1/2 cup (80 grams) raisins
1 cup (100 grams) pecan halves, toasted and chopped
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan, or if you are a using a non-stick cake pan you can skip this step.
Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a large bowl. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a medium bowl if using a hand mixer) and mix them together at medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until butter mixture is pale yellow, light and fluffy.
Mix the the flour mixture with the sugar and butter on medium speed until the butter is fully incorporated into the dry ingredients, about 1 minute. Scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl several times to make sure all the butter is mixed in.
Add the eggs and mix on low speed for 10 to 15 seconds. Once the eggs are incorporated, turn the mixer to medium-high speed for about 1 minute, until the batter turns light and fluffy.
Fold in the apples, raisins and pecans by hand. The batter will be very stiff and thick. It will look like too many apples and not enough batter, but this is intended.
Spread the batter onto the prepared cake pan and smooth it evenly to fill the pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake feels firm when you press it in the middle and is a dark golden brown color. Let the cake cool in the pan completely on a wire rack. Invert the cake onto a serving plate, then invert it again so it is right-side up. Slice and serve with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Note: The cake keeps wrapped tightly in plastic for up to 3 days at room temperature or for up to 2 weeks in the freezer; defrost overnight at room temperature before serving.