Ripe Recipe: Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Cake

Our resident nutrition guru, Katherine,  has perfected her Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Cake just in time for the last days of fall! Nothing beats the smell of apples and cinnamon cooking in the oven after a cool day! Try this Ripe Recipe for dessert tonight and let us know what you think.

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
  • 2 large eggs
  • Dash of orange or lemon juice
  • 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3 1/2 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2-3 large)
  • Cooking spray

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Beat 1 1/4 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes).
  3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Add juice.
  5. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
  6. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low-speed until blended.
  7. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.
  8. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter.
  9. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
  10. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.
  11. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.