Thursday, March 27, 2014

Apple Cream Cake

Who doesn't love a delicious dessert?  I know I do.  Being diabetic certainly puts a crimp in the ability to enjoy lavish desserts.  But every now and then I sample.  Then I get on the treadmill.  Such was the case recently when I made Apple Cream Cake.  This was positively delicious so I want to share the recipe with you.


We started with four gala apples which equals three cups sliced.  Gala apples are just a little tart, but not too tart like a granny smith.  They are a good blend of sweet and tart and perfect for cooking.


We peeled and cored each apple.


This OXO vegetable and fruit peeler is just wonderful.  It feels good and solid in your hand.  The blade is slightly animated which makes it move across the surface with great ease.  You can see above what a nice job it did of peeling the skins off the apples.  Hardly any of the flesh remains on the skin.


 In a medium sized glass bowl we mixed together the sugar and cinnamon.
 

Then we quickly introduced the sliced apples into the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  It's best to work quickly at this point to get the apples coated.  Otherwise, they will start to brown.



With the apples and sugar and cinnamon incorporated, we moved to preparing the cake mix.  Just follow the recipe on the box.  This Pillsbury cake mix called for 1 cup of water, 1/3 cup oil and 3 eggs.


Once the cake mix is done (beat on medium speed for two minutes after all ingredients are combined), it is time to prepare your pan.


I love this Pam Baking Spray with Flour.  What took them so long to think of this?  You will be using a 9" x 13" pan for this recipe.


A thorough spraying all over the bottom and sides of the pan.  This pan is coated with a non-stick surface, but a little Pam for Baking will not hurt.  The last thing you want is for part of the cake to stick to the pan for whatever reason.  Use the Pam spray!


We filled the pan with the cake batter.


Then we added the sliced apples on top.  You can see that the apples and the sugar and cinnamon made a little syrup while marinating in the glass bowl.  All the better.  Make sure and pour all of that over the cake batter.


We added one cup of whipping cream to the top.


And immediately placed the pan in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.


The recipe calls for baking 60 - 70 minutes.  I used the convection baking cycle in my oven and it was done in 60 minutes.  Just a few minutes more would have been too much.  So my suggestion is to set the timer for 60 minutes and check.  If it looks like it could take another 5 or 10 minutes, then leave it in.  If it looks like the picture above, remove it.  Of course the standard test is a knife inserted in the middle.  If it comes out clean, then you have a thoroughly baked cake.


For topping, I mixed one cup of whipping cream and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a stainless steel bowl which was placed in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to mixing.  I used the whisk attachment for this.  You can put the whisk in the freezer also.  The colder everything is the better success you will have with the whipped cream.


We let the cake cool completely and then cut in into rounds.  I thought this was a nice presentation.


I thought it was an even nicer presentation with a little powdered sugar over the plate.


And and even NICER presentation with a large dollop of fresh whipped cream.

So there you have it.  Apple Cream Cake.  It is delicious and I am certain your family will enjoy.  Here is the recipe.

Yield: 12-15 servings

Apple Cream Cake

Ingredients
1 package yellow cake mix
3 cups sliced peeled tart apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whipping cream
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional


Preparation
Prepare cake batter according to package directions; pour into a greased 9" x 13" pan. Combine apples, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon; spoon over batter. Pour cream over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

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