This apple pumpkin cake is a perfect fall recipe. It combines two favorite flavors into one moist, delicious cake.
This apple pumpkin cake is from Robin Asbell’s latest book on Whole Grains
I have had such a wonderful time cooking and baking through Robin’s book, The New Whole Grain Cookbook: Terrific Recipes Using Farro, Quinoa, Brown Rice, Barley, and Many Other Delicious and Nutritious Grains
In Robin’s recipe she calls for canned pumpkin so you can make this cake any time of the year, but since it is pie pumpkin season I decided to use puree from a pumpkin I roasted. The apples are aplenty right now as well so I chose some that are local. You can mix and match baking apples such as Macintosh, Cortland, Haralson and/or Granny Smith. I have yet to get to an orchard to pick my own apples. But, I had the great fortune of receiving a bag of apples from my friend Jen’s father, who picked the fruit from a tree in his backyard. They are tart, but sweet and have a pink tint to their flesh. Absolutely gorgeous! I mixed them with some Granny Smith, as Robin recommends in her recipe.
Apple Pumpkin Cake Ingredients
- Apples: Granny Smith apples give this cake a wonderful tart flavor.
- Pumpkin Streusel: The streusel topping features pureed pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice to give this cake the wonderful pumpkin flavor.
- Apple Chips: These give the cake more apple flavor and add a layer of crisp flavor.
How to Make Apple Pumpkin Cake
Check out the full recipe at the bottom of this post.
To start:
Butter and flour (I forgot the flour and it was just fine!) an 8-Inch Springform Pan
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Saute the apples in the butter on medium heat, just until they start to soften. Remove from heat and add the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a stand mixer combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Add the 1/2 cup butter and blend well.
Measure out 2/3 cup of the mixture into a separate bowl to make the streusel. Add the 3 tablespoons sugar and pumpkin spices to this separate bowl, blend and set aside.
Add the baking soda, pumpkin, sour cream and eggs to the flour mixture left remaining in your mixer.
Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Layer the cake batter, then the sauteed apples and finally sprinkle the streusel over the top.
Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour. Allow to cool in the pan and then remove the springform. Serve with Vanilla ice cream and an apple chip.
To make the apple chips. dip the apple slices in the simple syrup. Drain the excess syrup off and lay them flat on a Silpat Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat
**For those of you who may want a parve caramel apple cake for their Rosh Hashanah dinner they can either adapt this recipe or use the recipe I have that has no dairy. For those just looking for an incredible cake to make use of all those amazing apples and a roasted pumpkin this is the one for you!
Ingredients
Sautéed Apples
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 large Granny Smith apples peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Streusel Topping and Cake
- 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
Apple Chips
- 1 apple very thinly sliced on a Mandoline slicer
- 1/2 cup simple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour (I forgot the flour and it was just fine!) an 8-inch springform pan.
Sautéed Apples
- Saute the apples in the butter on medium heat, just until they start to soften. Remove from heat and add the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Cake
- In a stand mixer combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Add the 1/2 cup butter and blend well.
- Measure out 2/3 cup of the mixture into a separate bowl to make the streusel. Add the 3 tablespoons sugar and pumpkin spices to this separate bowl, blend and set aside.
- Add the baking soda, pumpkin, sour cream and eggs to the flour mixture left remaining in your mixer. Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Layer the cake batter, then the sautéed apples and finally sprinkle the streusel over the top.
- Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour. Allow to cool in the pan and then remove the springform. Serve with Vanilla ice cream and an apple chip.
Apple Chips
- Dip the apple slices in the simple syrup. Drain the excess syrup off and lay them flat on a Silpat Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat. Turn off the oven from the cake and put the sheet of apples in the hot, but turned off oven. Allow the apples to dry out for about an hour before opening the door.
look great! i love to taste the cake!
This recipe really looks great. I can’t wait to try it.
Oh my, this looks wonderful. I’m trying to diet, but may have to make this anyway!
Superb, thank you Zoe!I will look out for those!
This recipe is perfect! I have a laundry basket full of apples from our yard, and a pie pumpkin on the way from the CSA. Thank you! 🙂
This never happens. I actually have all the ingredients on hand so I can make it tonight—it looks amazing.
Awesome – looks so rich and dense. Love the step by step pics.
What a wonderful way to combine two harvest favorites. My flower garden sprouted a “volunteer” varietal pumpkin from last year’s mulched remains . . . so I think I’ll try this cake!
Can’t wait to try this cake! I made pumpkin-ginger scones this morning … it’s that time of year!
Oh – this recipe sounds wonderful! Please include me in your drawing – I’m always looking for better and healthier recipes!
Thanks – Wendi
http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com
I’ll post a link to your giveaway on my blog.
I just found your site and the cake looks and sounds delicious. Hope to try it this weekend.
Zoe-
Both the cake and the book look fantastic. I plan to try my hand at the cake and if I am not the lucky winner I will hope my local library has the book. Thanks again for posting fun and interesting recipes. I look forward to your next book.
I would love to try this with a sweet, nutty, roasted heirloom squash, or even roasted sweet potato. Thanks for sharing – this looks like a keeper!
This looks and sounds wonderful–I can almost taste it now. Thank you for sharing!
That sounds like a great book and that cake looks just decadent!
this looks so delicious!
I love pumpkin and I can’t wait to try this recipe.
This looks delicious! And the apple crisp topper adds the “perfect last touch.”
I will try this recipe over the weekend. It looks really good! We have tons of apple’s at the farmers markets just waiting to bein some yummy dessert.
I just found out that you are on Twitter. That’s great. That cake looks so yummy.
All the fruits of fall in one place! It looks delicious.
Apples in a pumpkin cake sounds really good.
Hey Zoe! Love all the updates you do–how fun to try something from Robin’s book…it’s great!
My house is full of pumpkin fans, I can’t wait to try this. I’ve already had to make 2 pumpkin pies this week for the ravenous family! I love using whole grains in my baking so I’ll be on the lookout for this book (and I’m also looking forward to your new whole grain book Zoe!)
This sounds so delicious! I’ll have to bake one with the apples I bought at the Farmers Market today and serve it up with a batch of homemade pumpkin ice cream!