Description
This apple snack cake is easy to make but packs a major Fall flavor punch! Enjoy for breakfast, at the 2pm slump, or for dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cake:
- 3 large apples (or 4 medium apples)—I like Honeycrisp
- 1C + 3T all purpose flour
- 1C + 2T whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4t kosher salt
- 3/4t baking powder
- 1 1/2t baking soda
- 2t ground cinnamon
- 1/2t ground ginger
- 3/4C canola oil (or any other neutral oil like grapeseed or vegetable)
- 1T pure vanilla extract
- 1C + 2T granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/2C applesauce
For the maple, cream cheese frosting:
- 6oz cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature
- 1/4C – 1/2C powdered sugar
- 1/4C pure maple syrup
- 1/2t ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- Flaky salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat your oven to 350F and prep a 9″ springform pan by spraying a little cooking spray inside and lining the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- Peel your apples then shred them on the largest hole size of your box grater. You need a total of 1 1/2C of shredded apples. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add both flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger. Whisk together.
- Add the canola oil, vanilla extract, sugar, egg whites, apple sauce, and shredded apples. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold everything together until there are no dry bits of flour. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
- Bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until the middle springs back when gently poked and a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and run a knife around the rim before releasing it. Let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer (or, in a large bowl with a whisk—I’ve tried it all three ways and while the whisk takes longer to come together, it all works) add the cream cheese, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. Beat together on medium-high until combined and has a whipped-looking texture.
- Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides, and add the maple syrup and 1/4C of powdered sugar. Slowly bring up the speed until everything looks smooth. If you are looking for more of a glaze, you can stop here. If you want more of a traditional frosting, add more powdered sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon, until the desired consistency is reached. Scrape down the sides and beat one more time to incorporate any stray bits.
- Using an offset spatula, frost the top of the cake. Sprinkle some flaky sea salt over it, and dig in!