A few months ago I wrote about Fresh Apple Cake (Persistence of Memory, Jan '17). It had cycled out of my repertoire, and then when I made it for Joe, it settled back into regular rotation. I've been making it as apple cupcakes. Adding chopped dates when my brother brought a fresh box from the Syrian family grower down in Brawley. Tweaking the proportions, seeing just how little sugar I can get away with and still taste cake (honestly, 1 1/2 cups is still the gold standard. Although with less sugar--and using whole wheat pastry flour--what you get is delicious apple muffins for breakfast--nothing wrong with that). All slight variations of the standard Apple Cake.
Then, the other day we were heading to Joe's place for dinner and dropped by a bakery to bring a little dessert, which turned out to be carrot cake. I love certain things about carrot cake but it is generally too-too: too rich, too sweet, and too cinnamon-forward for me. Part of what I love about Fresh Apple Cake is that it isn't any of those things--it's just right. The ingredients profile for both cakes is quite similar, just different proportions. So why not try a mash-up?
Why not, indeed. Fresh Apple Cake, but with a different hairdo.
Fresh Apple Cake calls for 4 cups shredded apple. This time I used 3 cups apple, 2/3 cup shredded carrot, 1/3 cup crushed pineapple (juice squeezed out), and threw in 2/3 cup raisins. Everything else the same.
The result? That harvesty flavor I love from carrot cake, nestled in the perfectly balanced proportions of apple cake.
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