Karen here, continuing to celebrate apple month in my kitchen and, well, I was bound to make a cake eventually wasn't I? I had some very good friends come to visit me this weekend and, as my friends and family will attest to, if I have enough warning of your arrival I will get baking!
So, I found this fabulous recipe online which was a doddle to do and came out a treat. It was from Nora Cooks (1 Bowl Vegan Apple Cake - Nora Cooks) and with just a few tweaks I had these delicious, fluffy and spicy apple and walnut cakes to offer.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups plain white flour
2 cups granulated sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups as I used sweetened apple sauce)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup melted coconut oil (I used rapeseed oil)*
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used sweetened apple sauce that I had made and stored in the freezer)*
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and diced apples (I didn't peel them, just chopped them into very small pieces)
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used half a cup)
(I used slightly less oil (3/4 cup) and replaced amount with apple sauce (I used 3/4 cup in total)
The great thing about this recipe was that it was not very messy to make, requiring only one big mixing bowl and a chopping board.
METHOD
First mix ingredients 1-6 in a large mixing bowl.
Then add ingredients 7-9 and mix.
Finally add ingredients 10-11 and fold in.
Evenly spread the mixture (which will be very stiff) into a greased tin. (9 inch x 13 inch or similar)
Bake for 45 mins at 175C until your cake tester comes out clean.
TIPS
The mixture was very stiff, as I was warned, but the liquid in the apples added moisture. It was lovely and soft!
I found the baking time was very accurate. I turned mine halfway through baking and it baked perfectly.
I struggled a little to get the cake out of my tray so rather than just greasing a baking tin, I think I will line the tin next time...and there will be a next time. This cake was fantastic.
I think I may try adding coconut instead of walnuts next time....I LOVE coconut!
These were delicious and loved by all, so I hope you enjoy this cake too if you give it a go. It was a great addition to my spread which I'll unashamedly show off here! A future blog about vegan sandwich fillings may be on the horizon!
Thanks so much for reading!
Karen