CrankyCakes

After a spate of chocolate birthday cakes, I thought the next baked snack ought to be something different.  So I asked the littler monkey if he wanted to help me make an apple cake.   He said, “I LOVE apple cake!” and waddled off to get the little step-stool so he could see the counter.

I started pulling ingredients out of the fridge and the cupboard, and he got a green plastic snake spoon out of the drawer so he could help with the measuring and stirring.

Apple-Pear Snack Cake

[The spice mixtures are approximate, as they were measured with the aforementioned green snake spoon as it was slithering in and out of the mixing bowl.]

Preheat the oven to 350 with a rack in the center of the oven.  Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Whisk together thoroughly:
2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 c. unbleached white flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. dried orange peel (optional)
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. baking powder

Toss together:
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2″ dice
1 large pear, cored, and cut into 1/2″ dice
2 T. brown sugar

Beat together in a medium bowl:
1/2 c. olive oil
2 T. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar or brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 c. pumpkin or butternut squash puree

Fold the pumpkin-egg mixture into the flour mixture and beat together just until combined and fairly smooth.  Stir in the apple and pear, then pour into the prepared pan.  Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 50 minutes.  Cool in pan on rack, then cut into squares and serve.

The cake is nice, not too sweet, has a moist texture and keeps and freezes well.  In spite of this, the little monkey has declared “I don’t waaaaaaaant [sob] apple cake [sniff],” when it’s been making snack appearances.  His brother is content to eat his piece as well, and so it goes.