Apple Walnut Cake

This is a recipe you just need to try! Because I assume you love apples and walnuts (you can also use pecans or almonds). And cake, of course, but that's a no-brainer. We all love cake.

Whenever I think of my childhood, apple cakes and pies are a prominent feature. The first recipe I made was this apple blackberry crisp without the berries. And I was hooked on the flavor of cooked apples.

When I opened a cafe many years ago, one of the most sought-after cakes was this glazed apple walnut cake I sometimes made with pears and almonds.

So simple and easy to make and so incredibly delicious!

Ingredients

• Apples: Granny smith apples, the green ones are the best because they're acid and retain texture after they're baked. But any cooking apples you normally bake with work.
• Oil: any vegetable oil can be used. I like olive oil but have made this with sunflower oil for years. Coconut oil also works but, in my experience, the cake tends to be less rich.
• Flours: white and whole wheat flour are used, but you can use all white, such as all-purpose flour or cake flour. The whole wheat flour needs to be superfine for best results.
• Baking soda: helps the cake grow as it bakes, so make sure it's not expired.
• Salt: I use kosher, but your regular table salt works fine.
• Walnuts: they're used ground, so buy the cheaper broken ones. No need for fancy walnut halves unless you want some to decorate the cake.
• Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon and Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon. 
• Orange zest: it pairs wonderfully with apples and cinnamon. You can omit it if you don't have any. Don't go out and buy it just for this cake.
• Vanilla: I like to use pure vanilla extract or paste whenever possible, or very good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) like Baker's
• Eggs: fresh, large.
• Sugar: white, granulated.

Why use oil in cakes 

There's much good to be said about using oil in baking cakes.

• Moisture: among other things, these cakes keep well and freeze wonderfully due to the moistness oil gives. Don't keep them at room temperature for more than a day, especially if it's not cool. Apples tend to ferment quickly, and the cake goes south from one day to the other.
• Easiness: there's no waiting for the butter to soften and then creaming it with sugar and all those steps. When you use oil, it needs little beating, and you simply open the bottle and pour.
• Texture: the crumb tends to be more uniform and less dense depending on the recipe.

How to make this apple loaf cake

It's very easy, but there are a few pointers to get the best results.

Apples: they need to be chopped fine but not completely pureed. I like to use the food processor because it's easier than chopping by hand. Do it when you start with the recipe, and the apple will release juice, which is good.

Batter: before adding the apples, this cake batter tends to be thick and very dense. The fruit and its juice will loosen it, and by the time you incorporate it completely, it will be more fluid.

Use the right-sized pan, and don't fill it more than ⅔ of its capacity (¾ at the most).

Baking it: it will rise and crack like most loaf cakes, so be sure it's fully baked. Being a dense cake made with oil, ensure you use a cake tester or toothpick to check for doneness.

Vintage Kitchen tip: loaf pan should not be filled to more than ¾ of their capacity. This is to avoid overflow and to ensure they bake well. When the cake batter is too much for the size of the pan, the inside will never fully bake, or it will take so long that the sides and top will be too thick and dry.

Variations

• Flour: use all white flour (all-purpose or cake flour) instead of part whole wheat. The cake will be just as wonderful but has less texture and earthy flavor.
• Fruit: this delicious cake works well with pears and almonds. Same procedure, but substituting the same amount of both as specified in the recipe card below.
• Oil: sunflower is the most neutral choice, but I use light olive oil a lot. I love baking with it (this lemon olive oil bundt cake being one of my favorites) and find that the preparations are even richer. Coconut oil can also be used.
• Sugar: you can use half white sugar and half brown sugar. The total amount should be the same as specified in the recipe card.
• Spices: this recipe uses cinnamon, but you can use an apple pie spice mix or add more spices like a dash of ground nutmeg, mace, or allspice.
• Topping: you can also use a light cream cheese frosting, which goes well with the rest of the flavors.