Fresh Apple Cake with Honey Glaze

A long time ago, in a far away place... Ok, maybe only 15 or so years ago, and in Minnesota, there was a store I used to shop at called "Dayton's". It was a Minnesota based store, but I don't know how big of a territory they covered. It was a BIG department store, and a nicer one. One of their stores was in downtown St. Paul, and it was connected to the skyway system, so I could go shopping there for a lunch break once in a while. They had the best marketplace. High end chocolates that were so yummy... I would just buy one... just a treat for the walk. Then.... there was this cake mix that they sold. An apple cake mix. Oh how I loved that cake mix. That was back in the day when I relied on mixes, and I bought several each year. Sadly, somewhere in some mergers, acquisitions, and marketing changes, my beloved cake mix went away.

Maybe this was one of the triggers that got me away from mixes. You find one you love, and then it goes away. I have tried so many apple cake recipes over the years, hoping to find a recipe that would make the cake that I knew and loved. Never even close. I tried a lot of good, applicious recipes since then, but I was never happy because they weren't the one.

Then this past weekend happened. We were meeting some friends for a picnic, and I wanted to make a dessert. I had all these great apples from the orchard, so I pulled up a recipe I had pinned a long time ago, and whipped it up with no expectations other than being delicious. Guess what?!?!?! It is darn close to the cake I had been trying to replicate! Everyone loved this cake. It is amazingly moist, a nice crisp layer on top. If you really like that top layer, skip the glaze and just have some whipped topping.

Fresh Apple Cake (Source: Paula Deen)

3 cups diced apples

1 cup pecans, toasted
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a tube pan, set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together apples, pecans, vanilla, and cinnamon; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In large bowl beat sugar, oil, and eggs with electric mixer until completely combined and creamy. Gradually add in dry ingredients, mixing until completely combined. Fold in apple mixture. Fold until apples are evenly distributed through batter. 

Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow the cake to fully cool in the pan, then turn out onto a plate.

Honey Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp milk

Add all ingredients to bowl, stirring until smooth.  Drizzle over cooled cake

Can be stored in refrigerator up to 5 days. Wrap tightly and store in airtight container.

Sharing this recipe at:

Weekend Potluck