Friday, March 20, 2009

Spiced Apple Nut Cake


Newflower farmer's market opened here in Austin!  Mr. Sherry Berry and I went to visit and it's a great store. Filled with all things organic and healthy, but without the "ritzy" pricetag, I will definately go back to visit soon.  I found this recipe on their website while looking for coupons, and thought I'd give it a shot.  

Servings:  Approx. 8 
Prep/Cook time:  About 35-40 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened and divided
2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 c. sugar
3 med. Chilean Granny Smith apples (6 to 7 oz. each) peeled and thinly sliced (about 4 c.)
3 Tbsp. maple syrup, divided
2 large eggs
3/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. unsifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans
Prep:
Peel and slice your Chilean Granny Smith apples.  Place them in a bowl of  ice water once peeled/sliced so that they won't turn brown. 




















































Directions:

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. each of the butter and sugar over medium high heat until the sugar begins to turn golden.








































Add apples; cook and stir until tender and just begin to brown, 5 to 7 min.
Remove from heat.




















Lightly butter an 8-inch round baking pan; lightly coat with flour.



















Preheat oven to 350™F




















Drizzle the bottom of the pan with 2 Tbsp. of the maple syrup. 
Arrange half of the apple slices in a circular pattern to cover the bottom.






















In a bowl, beat remaining 1/2 c. butter and sugar until fluffy.



 



















Beat in eggs. . . 





















Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt; beat on low speed just until combined; 
Then, fold in pecans.


 

















Spoon half of the batter carefully over the apple slices in the pan; smooth into an even layer; top with the remaining apple slices, and then the remaining batter.



















Bake until the center springs back when gently pressed, about 35 min. 

















































































Cool on a wire rack for 10 min.; loosen edge and invert onto a serving plate. 




































Drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp. maple syrup 
over top. Serve warm. **Garnish with whipped cream and dried apple slices, if desired.

To dry apple slices:

Wash and slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Pre-treat with a lemon juice/water solution (1 cup of lemon juice to 1 quart of water) solution to prevent browning. Place slices onto drying rack. Dry fruit at 135° F. When fruit is pliable and there is no sign of moisture it can be stored in air tight bags or jars.

*For more recipes from Sunflower/Newflower markets visit this site: http://sfmarkets.shoptocook.com/recipeweb/index.jsp























And now for the hubby taste test:

























Thumbs up!  He likes it!


















Recipe Courtesy of Chef David Guas, Ceiba Restaurant, Washington, DC