I sometimes wish that my future self could just pop into my present world just to… you know… say hi, and let me know that everything in the future is going along just swimmingly. That never happens, but maybe I just haven’t given future me enough guidance. With this in mind… here’s a quick letter to future me. Now maybe 48 year old me will get crackin’ on some answers. Slacker.
Dear Future Me,
Hi. How’s it going? You look really pretty in that sweater.
I have a few questions for you. I hope you’ll indulge me.
Are you still unreasonably afraid of spiders? Probably. You know what? That’s ok. That’s what spouses are for… clearing spiders from anywhere that might interfere with you.
Speaking of spouses… do you have one? How’s that going? Awesome. I hope it’s awesome. I hope you two hold hands and take morning walks and go out on dates.
Do you still buy the cheap mascara? Have you been to Italy yet?
Tell me you still wear a little black dress and heels on occasion. Please.
Kids. Do we have Mom hands yet? Oooh, I love Mom hands. I can’t wait to have Mom hands… well I can wait. I’m waiting right this very second and I don’t feel bad. But Mom hands…. I bet we totally have Mom hands.
How do you feel about eggplant? Do you like eggplant yet?
What’s been good? What’s been not so good? Are you livin’ the dream?
Let me know how we are. Send me a sign… maybe a paper airplane with your answers… whatever you need to do.
I’ll be sitting here with a cup of tea and my Spiced Apple Cake waiting to hear from you.
Love,
Present Me
Quick Blurb of Shamelessness
Hi… it’s me, Joy the Baker. I hang out here a lot. So do you. I like that. Thanks.
Last week I was nominated for the Foodbuzz Blog Awards. The Best Baking Blog… go figure. If you’re feeling… votey, you might head on over to Foodbuzz to vote for all the fine folks that are up for an award. Yea? Thanks!
I love this apple cake. LOVE IT! It’s perfectly spiced, full of tart fall apples and moistened with sour cream. I baked my apple cake in an old fashioned tube pan, but I think this recipe is best made in a 8″ or 9″ spring form pan. Bonus! This cake freezes well. I sliced my cake and wrapped up pieces individually to grab as an afternoon snack at work. Spiced Apple Cake with hot tea… a perfect world.
Spiced Apple Cake
from The Sweet Life
Sauteed Apples
2 tart apples (about 1 pound)
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons sugar
Cake
12 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
4 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon clove
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sour cream
1/4 cup raw sugar (or granulated if you don’t have raw on hand)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour an 8-inch spring form pan and set aside.
To sautee the apples: peel, core and dice the apples into 1/4-inch cubes. Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat until butter beings to bubble. Add the diced apples and cook for one minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the sugar and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cook the apples, uncovered for 4-5 minutes until they are softened. Remove from heat and allow to cool. You’ll only use the sauteed apples for the recipe so you can discard any liquids that may have accumulated.
To make the cake: cream the butter, sugar and spices in a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment until light in color and fluffy. This may take 6 to 8 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally, to scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks one at a time and continue beating until fluffy and glossy.
Measure out the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. With the mixer set on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients to the batter. Mix until no flour streaks remain. Add the sour cream all at once and incorporate. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until no traces remain. Fold in the cooked apples with a rubber spatula. The cake batter will be thick.
Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan and distribute evenly. Take a knife and run it in a singular circular motion through the batter 1-inch from the edge of the pan. This will help the cake to rise evenly. Sprinkle the cake with the raw or granulated sugar and bake for 60- 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the spring form pan.
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i read your blog on my phone this morning, then jumped out of bed and whipped up my own spiced apple cake – we all ate a piece for breakfast and it was wonderful!
yum yum!
thanks Joy.
man, this cake looks so great! I can never get enough of apple baked goods this time of year! OH, and I have mom hands and believe me- they aren’t as great as you might think- but maybe that’s because I’m 24 year old me, they’ll probably look really good on 48 year old you (but don’t worry, the mom part that comes with the hands is the best thing ever!).
Is Emily Rose your first and last name or first and middle? I could be your future you. :)
Congratulations on the foodbuzz nomination!
This apple cake looks so pretty. I think I need to get myself one of those nice pans to bake it in!
Apple spice cake is right up my alley – yum!
I like your letter, very cute :)
my mom loves spices! i think i should give this a try :)
I hope the future you simply says “relax and enjoy the ride”! (Oh, and bake-on!)
Your cake looks delicious Joy! Bundt pans and I don’t seem to like each other very much. My cake often gets stuck in them but this cake might be worth giving it one more shot!
I love love love that letter to yourself. Very cute, and we learned a little about you at the same time. Nice!
That cake looks extremely yummy… Jade was right, I shouldn’t have come here when I was hungry… *sigh*
I hope you have Mom hands one day soon! That is one loud biological clock you’ve got going there ;)
Mine is in the oven presently. Thanks! It smells soooo good!
mmmmmmmm sour cream! what are mom hands btw?
This looks amazing!
How did you know that I had two apples in my kitchen that were dying to be a part of apple cake?! Can’t wait to smell this one baking in my oven!
If I close my eyes & relax, I think I can actually smell warm spiced apple cake right now. Is that the sign of a stroke, or heart attack – smelling things? Who cares, I want to die with this cake – yummy!
This cake makes me want to have a tea party stat.
Congrats on your nomination! Hope you win! I love spicey, appley baked yummies in the Fall!
ok, so we are drving thru ohio on the way to michigan to pick apples so I thought I would plan ahead and find an apple recipe to make at my uncle’s house – enter Joy! so i’m typing this comment on hubby’s phone cuz I just have to tell you that You Rock! apple cake was the first thing I saw on the screen and I can’t wait to make it- thanks, Joy!
Congrats on the nomination.. it’s obvious you totally deserve it!
Joy,
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog! Your recipes are so fantastic and you are so cute!
Wish I could sit down and have tea with you!
Andrea
Oh my! I made this cake tonight for a potluck and it was gone within minutes! Everyone raved about it and asked what my secret was! Thanks so much, Joy, for a fabulous recipe to add to my repertoire!
Congrats on your nomination–you have my vote. I love your blog! I went apple-picking this past weekend, so I will be trying out this recipe immediately. Thanks for the autumn-y inspiration.
this looks so good! love your photos!
Joy,
This cake looks delicious. Also perfect timing since apples are abundant now. Cannot wait to make this treat. All I would need with it is a nice cup of warm cider and some fresh whipped cream.
Hi Joy!
Can’t wait to make this.
Congrats on the nomination! You should have been in some other categories too :) I voted right away. Good luck! You have such a wonderful voice–I love your posts.
Growing up, I wrote letters to myself to read at special moments (graduations, etc). I love your letter to your future self. Your future family and friends are very lucky!
Keep smiling! :)
Am eating a warm freshly baked slice of this now…and LOVING it! Thanks, Joy!
As always, I copied out the recipe and will be peeling apples shortly! As for mom hands, I wasn’t as lucky as you to have that kind of mom, but I do notice lately (yes, I’m old!! OK well old but not ancient YET!) that while my hands are quite nice woman hands, they are also like my dad’s. Able to do anything I put my mind to, able to soothe, nurture, bake, garden, etc, etc, and so on. I love you daddy!
I am saving this to make next weekend. I bet your house smelled wonderful while you were baking this.
this cake is excellent! the tart apples provide contrast to the rich and spicy, yet lightweight cake, and the crunchy sugar topping gives it great texture. i used plugra butter–i’m obsessed with using it in baked items these days; it’s so rich and creamy.
i can’t wait to bring this in to work tomorrow for a morning birthday celebration! it will be perfect! thanks for sharing it, joy!!
Hi Joy, congrats! I voted for you…
I tried this cake last night… but I did not have an 8″ springform pan… I wound up putting it in a square pan, because I have a lid to keep it fresh. I wouldn’t recommend the square… the corners aren’t the best…
*but* and this is a big BUT:
this was, hands down, the BEST apple cake I have ever made. I have tried MANY, MANY apple cakes…. and this one… oh, my!
Moist, light, soft… yummy.
Make this cake, just use a round pan.Your taste buds will thank you.
:-)
I love apple cake. My grandpa used to make one every year around the holidays. Alas, I do miss it now that he’s gone. I think I will make this soon as a revival of the holiday apple cake! =]
I made this cake this weekend and it is sooooo good. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe!
I’m just going to head out now and get some apples! I read this in the early hours of the morning (I’m in GMT0 zone:)) and have been planning its baking since.
My sister gave me one of those round tins for Christmas and your recipe looks like it will be a beauty. Many thanks!
I made this last night and it was great. Served it to my husband with whipped cream and he liked it a lot (and he is picky).
I love the gingerbready flavor. I think I might try raisins and pecans in it next time, and maybe some cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top.
Do you think it would be good with vanilla?
Thanks so much Joy for your inspiration!!
I made a cake just like this for thanksgiving, though slightly different..
I used nearly 4 pounds of apple puree, so it was more of a pudding but delicious all the same. This website is great, so glad to have found it. I’ll be baking a chocolate cake with your buttercream icing for my Mom’s birthday tomorrow, thanks for the inspiration!
Truly delicious! Instead of a sugar topping what about melted on chocolate or cream or even custard which is traditional.
My cake was done after 40 minutes instead of 60-70. Don’t know what happened there, but it was baked perfectly. It might have even been a wee bit overbaked. I subbed 1/2 creme fraiche and 1/2 Fage yogurt for the sour cream (and yes, I thought I was so clever), and if I were to make it again, would skip the sugar on top. Hopefully that might help someone…
Baked this cake this afternoon with my eight year old granddaughter, Calley. We both loved it. My great grandmother taught my mom to make an applesauce cake so Calley wanted me to bake one with her. I could not find an applesauce cake recipe but I said this was a Saucy Apple Cake!
I made this for Christmas and it was a hit! So delicious!
I made this today in two loaf pans (so I could share with a nice neighbor). It was not quite enough batter for two cakes, so they are a little short, but the taste is great! I used nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt (Trader Joe’s) and it was delicious! What a great consistency – such a light cake, but the apples give it a little heft. Delicious!
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