Apple Blondie Snack Cake

This snack cake started out as a cross between two of my recipes: blondies, and the Apple Brandy Bread from my 100 Morning Treats cookbook. I wanted something plump full of apple flavor, but also rich and winter-y. Using the blondie base (minus the coffee and chocolate) made for a moist, rich bar, but the added liquid from the apples made if feel almost underbaked, even though I had steamed them beforehand. I added streusel on the top to mimic the bread recipe, but that was too much extra sugar and butter.

I started over, and this time I added another egg for structure and swapped the streusel for a cinnamon-sugar topping. After it baked, I was met with what I like to call an almost-cake: it was a perfect cross-between a blondie and a snack cake, with a moist, rich base and lots of flavor. My family voted that it was still closer to cake than a blondie so I have named it here accordingly, but my kids now refer to this dessert as “Apple Clondies”.

Baking with Apples

Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to give them a head start. Just like in my Apple Morning Bun recipe, I found that steaming the apples in apple cider not only helped the apples soften, but also pumped them full of more flavor as the cider soaked into the apples. However, if you don’t have cider on hand, water also works well.

I also cut the apples into thin, bite-sized pieces. I prefer the apples to bake down into the cake, instead of biting into big chunks. Cutting them thin along with the steaming helped the apples almost melt into the cake, giving lots of flavor and good texture.

Apple Jack adds another kick of flavor, but I have made this cake by steaming the apples with water and no apple jack, and it still was delicious!

I’ve always been a fan of using Gala apples in my baking, as they have a sweet and tart flavor profile, and are crisp and juicy, with light floral notes. I like how they break down during baking, and are not overly tart, or overly sweet. However, if you have a favorite baking apple, you can use that here instead.

Apple Blondie Snack Cake

Servings: 9 pieces

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

This delicious dessert is the perfect cross-between a blondie bar and a snack cake, with a moist, rich base and lots of apple flavor. Each bite is moist and rich, with thin slices of apple.

Sarah Kieffer

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Ingredients

• About 2 medium [200 g] Gala apples, peeled and sliced into 1/8 in [3 mm] slices
• 1/3 cup [60 g] apple cider or water
• 12 tablespoons [1 1/2 sticks or 170 g] unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups [300 g] dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon apple jack, optional
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup [213 g] all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 1/4 cup [50 g] granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt, optional

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Grease a 9 in [23 cm] square baking pan and lie with a parchment sling.

For the sugar topping

• In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and salt if using until combined.

For the cake

• After cutting the apples into 1/8 in slices, run your knife through the pieces a few times, creating bite-sized pieces. Place the apples and the apple cider in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cover the pan and let the apples steam in the cider until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. The apples should be soft, but still hold their shape. Strain the apples and let cool to room temperature.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, and salt. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and apple jack, if using. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
• Add the eggs and whisk until combined. Add the baking powder and whisk again until incorporated, then add the flour and use a spatula to stir until combined. Add the cooled, strained apple pieces and stir to combine.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth out the top. Sprinkle the cake evenly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
• Bake for 24 to 30 minutes, until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the batter comes out with the faintest hint of crumb.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Use the parchment sling to gently lift the cake out of the pan. Cut them into squares and serve. Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Notes

*I like a hefty sprinkle of sugar on the top of this cake, but you can put less on if desired. 

*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. If I am posting a recipe from another cookbook, I will use whatever gram measure of flour used in that book, which is why you may see a few posts with a different cup measurement.

Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast.