Last week I opened my front door and found this:
Aren't they gorgeous?! My friend, Nancy, and her darling son picked these from their apple tree. I was thrilled because the girls and I didn't get around to apple picking this year.
I'm not sure what kind of apples these are, but the girls love the tartness and have been eating them non-stop. Luckily I was able to grab a few, before they munched them all, and make this:
Cinnamon Apple Cake (Cooking Light - October 1997)
- 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup stick margarine, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large)
- Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°.
Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.
Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.
