Name: Easy Apple Cake
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 10-12 servings
Ingredients: Nonstick vegetable oil spray or unsalted butter, room temperature (for pan); ½ cup raw walnuts; 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar; ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature; 2 large eggs; ½ cup sour cream; 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided; 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided; 1 tsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract; 2¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour; 3 large Honeycrisp or Fuji apples (about 1½ lb.), peeled, cored, cut into ½" pieces; ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar; Special Equipment: a 9"-diameter springform pan

Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Adrian Ababovic, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi

In his debut cookbook, What Can I Bring? Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life, author Casey Elsass features this apple cake that seems like the poster child for fall. A simple batter made entirely by hand is packed with chopped apples and turned into a cake pan. Elsass mentions the addition of apple cider vinegar in the batter as a unique addition, but we think it’s the topping that truly sets this apple cake apart from all others. The cinnamon sugar topping sets into the cake as it bakes, functioning like a low-effort streusel.

Recipe notes

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