Last fall I was invited by the California Walnut Growers Association to tour the Mariani Nut Company orchards.
I’ve always been a walnut lover, but after the tour and all I learned, I’m an even bigger fan now. When I got home from my trip, the folks from the California Walnut Growers were kind enough to send a bag of their recent crop. And this recipe that I’m about to share with you, Apple Walnut Cake, is chock full of them!
My Apple Walnut Cake is a fruitcake the way it should be. Full of nuts, fruit and just enough batter to bind the whole thing together. But the thing that makes my cake a little different is that it’s not heavy. Even though it has a lot of fruit and nuts in the mix, you won’t feel like you just ate a bowling ball.
There’s only one cup of flour in this recipe, which allows the fruit and nut flavor to shine. No icing needed. It’s so good that it needs no embellishment.
Just mix it up, pour the batter into the pan and one hour later your house will smell better than any Yankee Candle ever could.
This is the perfect cake for brunch. Heck, I’d even have a slice of it for breakfast. With all of the good for you apples and walnuts, it’s a fine way to start your day!
- 6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 1½ cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 Tbsp butter softened plus ¼ cup melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Preheat ove to 350º. Grease a 9″ cake pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- In a stand mixer, cream together 5 Tbsp butter, granulated sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture one heaping tablespoon at a time until it is completely incorporated.
- Remove bowl from mixing stand and fold in apples and walnuts. Set aside.
- Pour ¼ cup melted butter into the bottom of cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
- Pour apple walnut batter mixture into pan and bake for one hour. If it starts to get too brown at the end, tent with tin foil.
- Let stand after baking for five minutes. Invert onto a plate and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
What a fabulous recipe Melanie! I hate fruitcake but this recipe sounds lite and flavorful without the heft of the normal fruitcake that has so much preservatives in it that it can be regifted for a year!! I can’t wait to give this one a try. Thank you!
Thank you! I actually like fruitcake if it’s a good one. Not that those present themselves very often.
Love, love this cake Melanie! I’d eat it for breakfast too.
Thank you Karista! We’ve been enjoying it ourselves at breakfast. It goes great with coffee!
Wow that looks amazing!
Thanks Linda!
Who says you can’t have cake for breakfast. I would eat this with cream or ice cream for breakfast. Yum
Is that the new “old” table top?
It is. What do you think?
It’s a lovely rustic accent, and compliments the dark green platter well. I’m following your photography journey, Melanie, and on a similar quest myself, but my subject matter is houses, since I began working as a Realtor last year. Sometimes people don’t notice the background composition, but it’s importand.. You sound like you’re having so much fun with gathering your props, and I love hearing about it as much as I enjoy the great recipes.