You want to know what was really fun? Watching P. Allen Smith try my version of his apple cake. I hadn’t tried it yet, and I was so worried I might have left something out of the recipe. Thankfully, it was fabulous! I mean, the cake has melted butter drizzled on top. What’s not to like?
Allen was the speaker at the Arkansas Women Bloggers Conference last weekend in Little Rock and when Stephanie asked me to make this cake for the reception, I jumped at the chance.
Kent’s Killer Apple Cake (from P. Allen Smith’s Seasonal Recipes from the Garden)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, well beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
4 cups chopped Granny Smith apples (I shredded them, peel on, in the food processor)
1/4 cup butter, melted, for serving
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and brown sugar with the vegetable oil. Then stir in the eggs and vanilla. Sift the flour into a separate bowl, and add the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add this to the wet mixture. Fold in the nuts and apples.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tube pan, and bake for 75-90 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cake plate. Top with whipped cream to serve or drizzle with melted butter.
I wanna add a little P.S. here about Stephanie Buckley. This fabulous woman home schools her boys, just moved into a new house, completely supports her Park Ranger husband, runs blogger communities all over the South, takes time to chit chat with me anytime I call, AND planned a weekend long conference for over 100 women. Oh, and she has the best hair. I just adore Buckley.