Category: Apple

Morning Glory Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

You may have tasted Morning Glory Muffins at your local bakery or coffee shop. They date back to the 1970’s and originated at Nantucket’s Morning Glory Cafe. The original muffins contained carrots, apples, coconut, raisins and nuts. Over the years I’ve tasted many versions of the hearty breakfast muffins with countless variations of nutritious add-ins. I was inspired to make a cake version using fall harvest ingredients. I replaced the coconut with zucchini and omitted the nuts. But you can certainly add in your favorite toasted chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts. Whether or not you like raisins, you’ll love the golden raisins I used in this recipe. They’re soaked in juice prior to baking and they taste like juicy little jewels, nothing like traditional raisins. I also added a brown sugar glaze, but the cake is equally delicious without the glaze.

Morning Glory Cake

Moist tender single layer spice cake with carrots, apples, zucchini and golden raisins topped with brown sugar glaze
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

Morning Glory Cake

  • ¼ cup (35g) golden raisins
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) apple juice or orange juice
  • 1 â…› cup (145g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
  • Zest of 1 small orange
  • â…” cup (150ml) avocado oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (113g) finely grated carrots
  • ½ cup (64g) shredded peeled apples
  • ½ cup (57g) shredded zucchini, excess liquid squeezed out See note below*

Brown Sugar Glaze

  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream
  • 1 dash fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (28g) powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions
 

Morning Glory Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan** with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  • In a small heat proof bowl, combine the raisins and apple juice, making sure the raisins are submerged. Heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until the raisins are plump and hydrated. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then drain the raisins.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until well combined.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, orange zest, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth and well combined. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the carrots, apples, zucchini and the drained raisins.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 28-35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes then turn the cake out and transfer it to a cooling rack.

Brown Sugar Glaze

  • In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble. Let it bubble gently for 30 seconds, then remove it from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and salt until smooth. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth and well combined. Spread the glaze over the cooled cake.

Notes

*Wrap the shredded zucchini  in a clean kitchen towel or a sturdy paper towel and squeeze out the excess liquid.
**To find my favorite 8-inch cake pans, click here.
To find parchment cake rounds, click here.
Keyword apple, cake, carrot, zucchini

Grandma’s Apple Crumb Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

I remember my grandma making coffee cakes and sweet muffins for breakfast, along with eggs, sausages, hot coffee and a big pitcher of milk on the table. Why do most of our grandmothers cook and bake so well? Because they’ve had decades of trial and error to perfect their recipes, tweaking them here and there until they’re approved and loved by their families, neighbors and friends. This cake has had its share of trial and error. She has earned her place as a well-loved, delicious, beautiful queen of coffee cakes.

A classic coffee cake is usually a subtly sweet cake with cinnamon, crumb topping and maybe some icing. They’re called coffee cakes because they go so well with a cup of coffee, not necessarily because they contain coffee. This Apple Crumb Cake has the elements of a classic coffee cake, but so much better! The cake is fluffy and soft, the crumb topping is chunky and plentiful, and the apples are perfectly tender. And don’t get me started about the icing!

Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

Tender vanilla cake with generous crumb topping and vanilla icing
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

Apples

  • 1 tablespoon (14g) butter
  • 3 cups (340g) chopped apples (1/2-inch pieces) Use any combination of your favorite baking apples.
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
  • â…“ cup (67g) brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (38g) sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Scant ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Cake

  • 1 â…” cups (213g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • â…“ cup (75g) sour cream, room temperature

Icing

  • 2 cups (234g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) half & half cream, room temperature

Instructions
 

Apples

  • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer the apples to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
  • Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like wet sand with no large pieces of butter remaining. Press together to make 1/2-inch chunks.

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line a 9-inch cake pan with a removable bottom*, or a 9-inch springform pan, with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom of the cake pan with aluminum foil and place pan on a baking sheet.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture in three separate addition, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into batter in three additions, alternating with milk mixture. Mix just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Drain any excess liquid from the apples. Top the cake batter evenly with apples, then the topping mixture.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool the cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Icing

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons (30ml) of half & half. Add additional half & half until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Notes

*To find the cake pan I used, click here.
Keyword apple, cake