Recipe vixen Cat Santamauro accepts fall into her heart and oven with an Apple Cake ditty that’ll keep you warm during a frosty, rain-delayed Game 5.

Apple Cake With Almond Streusel Crumbs

Autumn is finally upon us. The calendar says it began on September 22nd, but it didn’t feel like fall yet. Now the air is getting crisp, the leaves are changing, and another fashionable layer of clothing is coming out of storage. So, to celebrate this time of year, I like to keep it sweet. This recipe is somewhere between cake and apple pie. Moist, crumbly, and all around wonderful.

Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cups sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 4 Granny Smith apples, seeds removed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup nuts, raisins, and/or currants (optional)

Streusel Almond Crumb

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 finely chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Coat a 10 cup spring-form pan or bunt ban with cooking spray.
3. In a small bowl combine all ingredients for the Streusel Almond Crumb (flour, almonds, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt)
4. Mix with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
5. In a mixer fit with a paddle attachment: mix oil, eggs, and both sugar on high speed till thick and yellow.
6. In a separate bowl sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
7. With mixer on medium speed add the flour mixture slowly in one steady stream until just incorporated.
8. Add the apples and mix. Add vanilla and/or nuts or raisins if using.
9. Pour into prepared pan and top with Streusel Topping.
10. Bake for 70-90 min or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Serve with warm cider and a kiss on the forehead for maximum fuzziness.

– Cat Santamauro

catFood is one girl’s mission to teach people the art of simple food with big flavor. She loves cheese, crafts, and her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She can often be found around fresh produce and curing the common cold with Matzo Ball Soup.