Apple Blondie Snack Cake
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.
Servings 9 pieces
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.