The Perfect Apple Cake

Last week we had friends staying with us from South Florida.  Making a dessert when company is in town, is a good way to be certain there won't be much leftover cake that you are compelled to eat.  Having my apple bounty, I'm always willing to try anything with apples.  What a presentation, almost looks like art work.

This really does taste as good as it looks.  With a few simple ingredients, you've got a great tasting cake.  Another plus:  this cake benefits by sitting a day.  Which is a good fit for the way I like to make things: the day before I need it.  I found this on Food52, one of my favorite recipe sites. 

Ingredients:

 2  apples

 2 C unbleached all purpose flour

 2 1/4 tsp baking powder

 2 tsp ground cinnamon

 1 tsp ground nutmeg

 1/4 tsp salt

 1/2 C unsalted butter (at room temperature)

 1/2 C sugar

 1/3 C Honey

 1/2 C almond milk (can use soy or regular milk)

 2 large eggs

 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Lightly grease an 8 inch springform pan.  Peel, core, and slice the apples.  With half of the apples, turn the slices, and chop three or four times, to get a large dice.  In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt until blended, set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar and honey and beat until fluffy.  Add each egg, one at a time, mixing in between, then the vanilla.  Scrape your bowl and beat again.

Finally, beat in the milk.  Add the flour mixture, and beat until you get a smooth, creamy batter.  Stir in the chopped apples, and spread into the prepared pan.

Arrange the apple slices, overlapping them slightly, in a circular pattern over the batter.  Put the pan on the top rack of your preheated 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.

Allow cake to cool.  Now enjoy, with or without ice cream.  This really is the perfect apple cake.