From her delightfully bright breakfast cake to her “outrageous” brownies, Ina Garten always delivers a delicious dessert — I’ve even ranked them.
But as temperatures began to dip, I wanted to find a sweet recipe that truly embodied autumn. And when I stumbled on Garten’s fresh apple spice cake, I knew I had to try it.
Garten demonstrated the cake on an early episode of “Barefoot Contessa,” revealing she used to make it at the Hamptons food store that helped launch her cooking career.
“We used to have all kinds of cakes like this out on the bakery counter, and you could come buy a whole cake but you could also buy a piece,” she said. “It’s not fancy, just really delicious and earthy, and you always want to come back for more.”
Ina Garten’s apple spice cake features all the classic fall flavors.
To make Garten’s apple spice cake, you’ll need:
Before the baking began, I needed to preheat the oven and prep my pan.
I preheated the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and greased and floured my 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish.
Garten has a few special prep tricks to get the best flavor from her ingredients, including the pecans.
I placed my chopped pecans on a sheet pan and toasted them in the oven. Garten recommends five to 10 minutes to get them lightly toasted, so I took my pecans out after eight minutes.
Garten explained in the “Barefoot Contessa” episode that toasting the pecans “crisps them up and brings out the flavor.”
“I want everything to taste as good as it can possibly be,” she added.
She also has a baking hack for the rum-soaked raisins.
I combined the rum and raisins in a small bowl, which I then covered with plastic wrap and popped in the microwave for 60 seconds.
According to Garten, this helps the raisins plump up and absorb the rum.
I also chopped my apples and zested my oranges.
Within a few minutes, my prep was done.
It was time to start the batter.
I threw in the granulated sugar, dark-brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and orange zest into the bowl of my electric mixer, which was fitted with the paddle attachment.
Garten explained during the “Barefoot Contessa” episode that she uses vegetable oil instead of butter because it keeps the cake really moist.
I mixed my wet ingredients for three minutes.
Garten said the mixer should be set to medium speed for this step.
Then I prepped my dry ingredients.
I sifted the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves into a medium bowl.
I slowly added my dry ingredients to the mixer.
I added my dry ingredients while the mixer was on low until everything was just combined.
Then I drained my raisins.
Garten said there’s no need to save the extra liquid.
I folded the raisins, pecans, and apples into the mixture before spreading my batter onto the prepared pan.
“Make sure everything is really well folded in because you want every bite to have raisins, pecans, and apples in it,” Garten explained during the episode.
My prep work was done — and it was time to bake.
Garten recommends baking the apple spice cake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
It took my cake 45 minutes to fully bake. Then, per her instructions, I set it aside to cool.
I cut my cake into squares and served each slice with vanilla ice cream and drizzles of caramel. It looked — and tasted — like an absolute delight.
Garten recommends enjoying her fresh apple spice cake with a cup of tea in the afternoon for a snack, or with ice cream and caramel for the “perfect dessert.”
I opted for the latter for my first taste of the cake, which was a flurry of fantastic fall flavors. The nearly caramel flavor of the rum-soaked raisins brought some sweetness to the Granny Smith apples, while the pecans added some crunch. The cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves infused the cake with their warm and nutty flavors, complementing each other perfectly, while the orange zest brought some balancing brightness to each bite.
The texture of the cake was also deliciously moist, and eating it warm with some ice cream and caramel on top felt like such a treat. Since the flavors aren’t overwhelmingly sweet, you can also enjoy the cake for breakfast without the ice cream or caramel, which is what I did the morning after I baked it.
Garten’s fresh apple spice cake is the perfect fall dessert.
Garten’s apple spice cake is really easy and straightforward to make. I still had the energy to whip it up after dinner on a Sunday night following a big weekend. It doesn’t take much prep, and Garten said that you can even make the dessert ahead of time and bake it right before serving.
But the best part about the cake is its warmth. Garten’s recipe really captures all the fall flavors we know and love and really got me in the pre-holiday spirit. It’s the kind of dessert that makes you want to throw on a cable-knit sweater and watch “When Harry Met Sally” (or maybe that’s just me).
Whether you’re hibernating for fall with Nora Ephron flicks or starting your annual Gilmore Girls rewatch, Garten’s fresh apple spice cake is sure to warm your heart, stomach, and soul.
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