Apple Coffee Cake

I didn't mean to abandon this space for so long. I have been busy with my e-course (the first session just ended, I'm getting ready to regroup and make it even better for next time), finishing the 2014 Calendar, working on some custom orders, and spending most of my time with Amos.

I made this apple coffee cake a few weeks ago and have been meaning to share it here ever since. It is just the right cake for clear fall days when the crisp air cools your nose and turns your cheeks red. It is also ideal for one of these cloudy dark wet days that keep you nestled inside. I made it one night after Amos had gone to bed and I was rushing around getting ready for visitors to arrive the next morning. Managing to go grocery shopping, clean the kitchen and bathroom and bake a cake in just a couple of hours made me feel like superwoman. And the next morning there was coffee cake for breakfast.

It take a few steps to make, but the cake comes together quickly and is worth it whether you have company coming or are just having a regular breakfast. The sweet spiced apples sit atop a sturdy, not too sweet cake. And it is all to easy to just help yourself to another tiny sliver, or maybe just one more until it is nearly gone. It didn't last 24 hours in our house.

Apple Coffee Cake
Adapted from Good the Grain by Kim Boyce
The original recipe is for Apple Graham Coffee Cake, but I used whole wheat flour instead of graham flour. For apples, use tarter, sturdier apples (like Cortlands) so they will hold up when baked. The cake is fairly tall, so I baked mine in a 9-inch springform pan to make sure it would all fit.

Topping:
2 large apples
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 plain yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350' and grease a 9 inch round pan (with high sides, see above). Peel the apples and cut them into 1/2 in cubes. In a skillet, melt the ounce of butter with the sugar and cinnamon until bubbly. Add the apples, toss to coat them with butter and let them sear for a minute. Cook, stirring every minute or so, for about 8 minutes until the apples are tender and caramelized but not mushy. Remove from heat and set aside along with any butter sauce that is left. 

Stir together the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, yogurt, applesauce and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients into a fairly smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cooked apples evenly across the top of the batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer in the center comes out clean.