Name: A Plain Apple Cake for Any Afternoon
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 medium firm tart apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup light brown sugar; 1/2 cup neutral oil (such as canola); 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup whole milk or buttermilk; Powdered sugar, for dusting

This is what we call a tea cake — not too sweet, not too tall, not asking to be the center of attention. It sits at room temperature for a few days and gets better. It is the cake we bake when someone is coming over but we do not want to make a thing of it.

The apples should be tart and firm. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or a mix. Soft apples turn to mush in the batter; we want chunks that hold their shape and release a little juice.

No frosting, no glaze. A snowfall of powdered sugar at the end, and that is it.

Ingredients

Serves 8

3 mediumfirm tart apples, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
1 tbspfresh lemon juice
2 cupsall-purpose flour
2 tspbaking powder
1 tspground cinnamon
½ tspkosher salt
¾ cupgranulated sugar
½ cuplight brown sugar
½ cupneutral oil (such as canola)
3large eggs, room temperature
1 tspvanilla extract
½ cupwhole milk or buttermilk
for dustingpowdered sugar

Equipment. A 9-inch round cake pan, ideally springform. A regular 9-inch pan works if you line the bottom with parchment.

Method

Prep. Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment.
Prepare apples. Toss the diced apples with the lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
Whisk dry. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Beat wet. In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil for 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Whisk in the vanilla.
Combine. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a spatula until almost combined. Add the milk, stir. Add the remaining dry ingredients, stir just until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the apples and any juice in the bowl.
Bake. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the top is deeply golden, the cake springs back when pressed gently, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Cool. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then release the springform and cool completely on a rack. Dust generously with powdered sugar just before serving.

This is the cake that improves on day two, sits on the counter quietly, and is gone by day three.

Notes & substitutions

Apple variety Granny Smith for tart, Pink Lady for balance, Honeycrisp for sweetness. Mix two if you have them.
Make ahead The cake keeps three days at room temperature under a kitchen towel or in a cake dome. The crumb gets more tender over time.
Variations A handful of toasted walnuts folded in with the apples is welcome. So is the zest of a lemon.
Serving Plain. Whipped cream is allowed. Crème fraîche is better.

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