German Apple Cake

We had a serious amount of apple goodness going on in the House of Hills this past week. The Princess and I went apple picking last Saturday and came home with a *ahem* few apples to use. One of the things I knew I wanted to make was this German Apple Cake. I found this recipe two years ago during Johnny Appleseed week when the Princess was in first grade. I needed something easy to send in for the kiddies.

Over the last two years, the recipe has evolved as I’ve made it for the office, for small group, for friends and neighbors, for LOTS of folks. The BEST part about this recipe is that it FREEZES BEAUTIFULLY!

With the massive amount of apples I had on hand, I decided to triple the recipe. I made one batch in a 9×13 pan to take to the office and split the other batches into two smaller pans each. That allowed me to have more in the freezer to share.


I cut my apples (I don’t peel them.) and combined my dry ingredients in three separate batches. I’ve learned that in order to keep the distribution of the apple chunks even, it’s better to mix each batch as it’s own.

I set up my wet ingredients (and sugar) next to the stand mixer. The original recipe called for one cup of oil, but I split that into 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of the Crock Pot Applesauce that had just finished cooking and was filling my kitchen with the most amazing smells.

When I was finished, I had five very lovely apple cakes to share. I iced the 9×13 with cream cheese frosting (from the tub – I know terrible) to take to work the next day. I covered and froze the rest.

I delivered food to a friend today and brought a tub of cream cheese frosting with me. When she saw the tub, her eyes lit up and she said, “Does that mean there’s apple cake! Don’t put that in the freezer.” I told you. It’s good stuff.

GERMAN APPLE CAKE
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups apples

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour one 9×13 pan or two smaller pans.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat oil, applesauce and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy.
Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.
3. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in
a bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until
combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand
using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until cake tests done.
5. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once the cake is cool, serve it with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or with a Cream Cheese Frosting.

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