3 cups all-purpose flour (Barton Springs Mill Sonora, Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ tablespoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large, tart apples (Granny Smith, Cortland, Winesap, Braeburn or Empire) peeled, cored and grated
3 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¾ cup local honey
1¼ cups oil (I use Texas Olive Ranch Olive Oil, but canola or vegetable oil works, too)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a medium mixing bowl, lightly whisk dry ingredients together and set aside. Peel, core, and grate the apple into a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs until they are pale and frothy. Add white and brown sugars, and whisk until well combined and glossy. A little at a time, add honey, oil, and vanilla extract, and whisk until combined.
Add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing between each until just combined. With a spatula, fold in the grated apples and any juices. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan well with pan spray and coat with flour. Pour in the batter, filling the pan until the batter is 2 inches from the top of the pan. Tap the filled pan gently on the counter a few times to settle any air pockets.
Bake by placing the cake pan in the middle of the oven with the rack on the lower middle setting. Depending on the oven and style and size of pan, the cake could bake anywhere from 50-80 minutes. Start checking at 50 minutes. When a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the pan comes out clean, the cake is done. (This is a very moist cake, it is much more likely to be under baked than over baked.) The cake will be well browned on the top. If you feel like it’s getting too much color, cover the top with foil after 45 minutes to prevent further browning.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for no more than 10 minutes.
Tap the cake pan gently on a towel-lined counter to loosen, then invert onto a flat cake plate to continue cooling for at least an hour.
Serve with whipped cream, honey, apple compote, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar right before serving.
Will keep up to 5 days wrapped or covered in an airtight container at room temperature. Best made the day before serving.
NOTE If you have a smaller bundt pan and extra batter, these make excellent muffins. Bake 20-30 minutes in an unlined muffin tin sprayed with pan spray and coated with flour. Test for doneness with a toothpick, and turn out of the muffin tins after 10 minutes to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Liz Bliss is executive pastry chef at Empire Baking Company.
