October 9, 2025

One of my favorite fall events is the appearance of autumn’s first local apples at roadside stands. Typically, these are tender and not good travelers. You won’t see these varieties at the grocery store later in the season. They are here, and then they are not here.

Rambo apples are this year’s early variety. Sadly, they are not super crisp eating apples.  However, they cook up beautifully  and have a powerful apple aroma and taste.

Rambo apples are tender (see those dings?) and great for fall cooking.

Thankfully, apple season is long and bountiful in Virginia. This fruit shows up on my Good Eats Company menus in sweet and savory dishes. Apple cakes are always a client favorite, with or without icing or glaze.

For those of you who aren’t crazy about sweet icing, this unfrosted version makes a terrific snacking cake.

I love a cake made with very little disruption of electrons. No mixer here! Just a handy whisk and a good appetite for all things autumn. Homemade chai spice is good to keep in your pantry for jazzing up beverages, breads and more desserts.

Chai Spice Apple Cake

recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company

makes 10-12 servings

ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (½ cup), melted and cooled
2 ½ cup all purpose gluten free flour *
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup cane sugar
one large egg, room temperature
½ cup milk at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 generous cups fine diced peeled apple
2 or more cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons milk

Chai Spice Mix
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutneg
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

* regular all purpose white flour works just as well

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine chai spice mix and set aside in small bowl.
3. Set aside 1 teaspoon of chai spice mix for frosting and whisk the remainder into the dry ingredients (next).
4. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking power and salt, majority of  chai spice) and set aside.
5. Spray 9 inch round cake pan with cooking spray, line with parchment or wax paper and spray again.
6. Use a sturdy whisk to combine  melted butter with light brown and cane sugars,  then add egg and vanilla, then ½ cup milk.
7. Dump dry ingredients on top of wet, then scatter apples across the top (this light coating of flour on apple bits will prevent sinking while baking).
8. Using spatula, mix dry with wet and add to pan, smoothing top and bringing thick batter nearly to the sides of the pan.
9. Bake for 45 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
10. Let cake rest in pan 10 minutes, then tip out onto rack to cook completely.

Frosting (completely optional if you like less sweet)

1. For glaze/frosting, combine 1 ½ tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter and the teaspoon of chai spice mix.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring well to smooth out lumps; add more if too thin.
3. Apply to top of the cake, letting a little flow down the sides.
4. This cake ages well at room temperature up to 4 days and may be frozen.
5. Refrigerator storage not recommended.