Apple Spice Visiting Cake
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Apple Spice Visiting Cake is a buttery and moist fall cake with autumn spices that permeate every bite. It’s a simple cake, much like a Swedish Visiting Cake, with simple ingredients, to have ready for guests, or to bring to a favorite friend.
This easy cake recipe, filled with favorite fall flavors, is designed for sharing.
An autumn spiced cake that when made on Friday, will last all weekend. And come Monday, toast a slice with a smear of apple butter — and enjoy a treat that’s beyond wonderful.
What is an Apple Spice Visiting Cake?
Simply put, this Apple Spice Visiting Cake, is a simple cake, with simple ingredients, made even simpler in a loaf pan.
Much like Dori Greenspan’s famous Swedish Visiting Cake.
It’s a cake that’s easy to make on Friday and will keep for weekend treats until Sunday.
A visiting cake that is perfectly comfortable on the tea table or a friend’s kitchen table. Served with a warm cup of tea and an hour or two of visiting, of course!
Substitution for this Easy Apple Spice Visiting Cake
Cardamom:
This cake is a sweet and moist cake with distinctive fall flavors of cinnamon and ginger. As well as an unexpected hint of cardamom. If you don’t have cardamom on hand, nutmeg is a good substitution.
Heavy Cream:
Half and half works just as well in this recipe but if you need a quick substitution, try this method. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and then stir in milk to the 1/2 cup mark on a measure.
Honey Brown Sugar Glaze
While this step is completely optional, it does bring a shiny sheen to the apple cake. Not to mention, a delicious flavor of browned butter, honey, and vanilla.
Combine equal parts brown sugar and honey with a tablespoon of butter. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for a minute.
Remove glaze from the heat and add the vanilla. Brush over a still-warm cake and let cool for a couple of hours before wrapping or serving.
Conversely, you can also heat together 1/3 cup marmalade or apricot jam with a teaspoon of water and brush it over the warm cake as well.
How to Wrap a Visiting Cake for Gifting
Loaf cakes or quick breads are the easiest food gifts to wrap and give for hostess gifts, visiting, or the holidays. And takes about 20 seconds.
Cut a length of parchment paper about four or five times the width of your loaf. Place the cake in the center of the parchment and draw the ends together above the bread. Fold the paper several times until it’s even with the top of the cake.
For the sides, fold each into points, like a paper airplane, and tuck them under the bread.
Secure the folds with a pretty ribbon or twine.
More Apple Recipes
Old Fashioned Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze
Slow Cooker Apple Crisp: A Fall Favorite
Maple Apple Banana Bread: A Treat for Fall
Petite Apple Cinnamon Scones
Apple Spice Visiting Cake
Apple Spice Visiting Cake is a buttery and moist fall cake with autumn spices that permeate every bite. It's a simple cake, with simple ingredients, to have ready for guests, or to bring to a favorite friend.
Ingredients
- Butter and flour for the pan
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Center a rack in the oven, and preheat it to 350. Butter an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan and dust with flour. Tap out the excess and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until light and frothy. Then whisk in the cream and applesauce. Still using the whisk, gently mix the dry ingredients into the egg batter. Stir the vanilla into the melted butter, and then gradually mix it into the cake batter. Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 70 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the cake begins getting dark too quickly, tent it loosely with foil as it bakes. Once baked, transfer the cake to a rack and let it rest for 5 minutes. Carefully run a blunt knife between the sides of the cake and the pan before inverting it onto a cooling rack. Glaze the cake while it's warm or cool to room temperature before slicing.
- When the cake is completely cool, wrap to store at room temperature.
Notes
Honey Brown Sugar Glaze for Apple Visiting Cake
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small saucepan, combine the honey, brown sugar, and butter. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before adding the vanilla. Brush the top of cake while it is still warm. Let sit for 2 hours before wrapping or serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 349Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 254mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 5g
Made this recipe. Noticed the addition of applesauce wasn’t included in the directions . I added it into the sugar, egg mixture. Haven’t tasted the cake yet so don’t know if that was correct but the cake looks divine and smells wonderful. I made four small loaves instead of one larger one.
Hi Sue! I’m jealous! I wish I had baked it again this weekend. I hope you love it as much as we do. I did update that omission in the directions. Thank you for calling it to my attention!