January 17, 2023

Cake for dessert is expected. An unexpected treat is a slice of cake with a steaming hot mug of tea in winter. Any old time of the day or evening. This Apple Ginger Cake has lots of shredded apple, giving it a dense yet tender crumb.  We could all use more fruits and vegetables. Am I right? So this cake will lead you down the path to better health. 

I’m a big fan of cakes made with a whisk and no mixer in sight. Your most laborious task here is grating peeled apple and this can be accomplished with a food processor.  Another advantage of cakes made with shredded fruits or vegetables is that you can rescue the wrinkly produce past its prime.

Here is a simple recipe for a simple cake. The point about using up your “ugly produce” is, however, a call to waste less and use what you’ve got before you buy more. As an illustration, my local Kroger stores have end-aisle bins of sad looking fruits and veggies. These bags cost less than one dollar. Quite often the contents are organic, because shoppers occasionally overlook more costly produce.

a great way to use your sad and blemished produce is to grate them into desserts and savory dishes

And the stuff I buy is fabulous! Bananas ripe and ready for baking. Sweet peppers ready for roasting with garlic oil. Serrano peppers ready for pickling in saved brine from other pickles.

I know you have some sad looking apples you’ve been meaning to cut up for snacks. Apple Ginger Cake is an easy way to turn them into something delicious. You will have cake quicker than a trip to the store. The salted caramel glaze adds to its nutritional content, in my humble opinion.

Apple Ginger Cake

recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company

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makes 8-12 servings

ingredients

2 cups gluten free flour mix with added xanthan gum*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup molasses
½ cup neutral oil like canola
2 large room temperature eggs
2 level tablespoons lightly packed grated fresh ginger
1 ½ cup packed freshly grated peeled apple
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup whole milk
1 cup powdered sugar, whisked if lumpy
* I like King Arthur measure-for-measure; all purpose wheat flour also okay

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 10 inch cake pan with cooking spray, line with parchment, then spray parchment.
3. Whisk together flour, baking soda and spices in bowl.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together ¾ cup brown sugar, molasses, oil, eggs and ginger, mixing well.
5. Add dry ingredients, mix well with spatula and spoon into prepared cake pan.
6. Bake about 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean and cake edges pull away from side.
7. After cake cools to room temperature, prepare glaze.
8. Bring butter, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup brown sugar and milk to boil in small saucepan.
9. Simmer one minute, then whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.
10. Let glaze cool several minutes, then spread across top of cake.
11. Cake lasts well at room temperature up to 1 week and freezes well.