This apple cake is my gran's recipe with a few tweaks. It uses fresh apples, lots of spices and a whole stick of butter. So this apple cake might not be good for you but it is delicious. :D

You can make it as fancy or simple as you want, too. I dressed mine up a bit with an apple topping. It's optional but really easy and makes a basic cake look stunning.

This recipe only makes one small apple cake, so if you're making it for a special occasion I would recommend doubling it!

Step 1: Ingredients:

2 cups apples, chopped finely (plus some thin slices if you want a pretty top!)
1/2 apple, sliced thinly (as shown in the photo below)
1 cup white sugar
a pinch of salt (maybe 1/2 teaspoon)
1 cup AP flour
1 stick unsalted butter, melted (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

You'll also need a 9 inch round cake pan, some parchment paper, and an oven preheated to 325 F.

(My gran's original recipe did not call for salt because she used margarine. She also used one teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg, but I've changed up the spicing a little.)

Step 2: Chop the Apples and Add the Sugar

This is the first thing you'll want to do. Chop them fairly small (I just blaze my way through this - it won't matter as long as they're mostly the same size - they don't need to be pretty. :D) and mix them with the sugar.

You'll let them sit while you get everything else ready - a minimum of 15 minutes.

It took me 1 1/2 fuji apples to get two cups. I thinly sliced the other half of the second apple and set that aside for the topping.

P.S. Hate the skins? Take them off. I don't mind them and it's easier to leave them on, so that's what I do. :D

Step 3: Melt the Butter and Arrange the Apples

Once my butter was melted, I stole a spoon's worth of it and put it in another ramekin and added a tablespoon of white sugar to it.

Then I sprayed my cake pan with nonstick spray and lined the bottom with a piece of parchment.

I poured the tiny ramekin of sugar and butter into the bottom and spread it around well. Once it's spread out, you can lay the thinly sliced apples down into the bottom. :D

Step 4: Make the Batter

Stir together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices together with a fork. Crack the two eggs into the bowl and pour in the melted butter. Whisk this until it's well combined and you don't have any dry spots.

Now add in the apples and sugar and whisk. (whisk it good!!) This will help make it more batter-y.

Step 5: Pour and Bake

Pour the batter gently into the pan and smooth it out.

My grandmother's recipe said to bake it at 325 F for an hour, but that seemed too long to me. My cake was done in 40 minutes.

A sharp knife or toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean when it's done. It will also start pulling away from the sides of the pan. :)

Let it cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes once it's out of the oven.

Step 6: Flip and Eat!

Once the cake has cooled for a few minutes, flip it out onto a plate and carefully remove the parchment paper. You should be left with a gorgeous apple topped cake!

We ate it plain at the ibles office, but I think it would be so so good with vanilla bean ice cream. :D