A bowl of red or green apples on a kitchen counter is a still life waiting for an artist. Because the shape and color of apples are both so appealing to the eye, it’s not uncommon for a decorator to use a container of apples as a focal point in a room. Nothing else looks quite as beautiful, that is, until something is bakedwith those same apples. After baking, the beauty of the apple is enhanced by enticing aromas from the oven.
You can bet someone will follow their nose to the kitchen when you bake with apples. Desserts and breads are two popular ways apples delight the taste buds. Apple pies, cakes, and dumplings are traditional favorites among desserts. This recipe for Fresh Apple Cake dates back more than 50 years and makes a moist, delectable cake. On an occasion when a special gift is needed for friends or neighbors, this apple cake is a perfect solution.
Apple pie is an old favorite that most of us once enjoyed at our grandmother’s table. The scent of an apple pie baking might bring back distant memories of a time when families gathered around the table to eat.
Apple dumplings can be a time-consuming delight to make, but this recipe couldn’t be easier. There must be a hundred uses for packaged crescent roll dough, and it makes these apple dumplings a breeze to put together. Better stock up on ice cream before you bake these enticing treats because someone will probably request theirs à la mode.
Even a sleepyhead will be enticed to start the day with a bounce if apple muffins are on the breakfast menu. This Apple Muffin recipe makes a large batch of 24 muffins. Unless you’re feeding a brunch crowd or have plenty of freezer room to put some away for another day, you might want to half this recipe. Enjoy these apple recipes and expect visitors to the kitchen when others detect the scent of apples baking in your oven.
Four All-time Favorite Apple Recipes
Fresh Apple Cake
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, well beaten
3 cups chopped, tart apples
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Prepare a Bundt pan with cooking spray, set aside. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add eggs; stir to combine. Blend diced apples into the mixture. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the apple mixture. Stir until flour is incorporated. Add walnuts into mixture. The batter will be thick. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick and bake a few minutes longer if needed. Remove from oven; cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan by inverting over a plate. Allow to cool. May be dusted with powdered sugar, if desired.
Apple Pie
Pastry for double crust pie
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash salt
About 8 cups thinly sliced tart apples
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. For the bottom crust, dough should be rolled slightly larger than the pie pan. Place dough in pie pan. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add apples to the mixture and stir all together. Fill pie pan with sugar and apple mixture. Dot with butter. Roll top crust out, fold in half, and place on top of the pie plate. Adjust crust; trim off excess around the edge of pie. Cut holes in top to vent and crimp edges to seal. May be sprinkled with sugar for sparkle, if desired. Place on a baking sheet to catch any overflow and bake for 50 minutes. For the last 20 minutes of baking time, shield the edges of crust with aluminum foil strips to prevent over-browning. Cool on wire rack. Serve plain or with a scoop of ice cream.
Apple Dumplings
2 whole Granny Smith apples
2 cans (8 ounces each) crescent roll dough
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 can (12 ounce can) Sprite soda
Cinnamon, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices. Roll each apple slice in a triangle of crescent roll dough. Place in a single layer in prepared pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and stir slightly. Stir in vanilla, then pour mixture over rolled apples. Pour 1/2 can Sprite around the edges of the dish. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon; bake for 40 minutes. May be served with ice cream, if desired.
Apple Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups peeled, finely chopped apples
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin pan with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be stiff). Fold in apples, raisins, and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup 2/3 full. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake for 20 − 25 minutes. Cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Makes 24 muffins.
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This is fantastic! I am going to get the family to try each and every one of these recipes… 🙂
I would love to taste each and every one of those applicious recipes, Anita!