Honey Ginger Cake with Whiskey-Caramelized Apples
Speed - 98%
Simplicity - 97%
Tastiness - 96%
97%
Stupendous!
This cake was amazing. Not too gingery and just sweet enough! Loved it with the whiskey apple pairing. There's nothing more American than Whiskey and apples, so this could be a fun new tradition at Thanksgiving or Christmas. The timing for fresh apples is perfect, and the booze gives it a warming quality perfect for Winter.
Ingredients
Whiskey-Caramelized Apples
- 1 cup Sugar
- 4-5 medium Green Apples peeled cored and sliced
- 1 whole Vanilla Bean seeded
- 0.5 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Whiskey
Honey Ginger Cake
- 2.5 cups All Purpose Flour
- 0.5 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 0.5 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 0.5 teaspoons Salt
- 1.25 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1.5 cups Sugar
- 0.25 cups Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 0.5 cup Vegetable Oil
- 10 tablespoons Honey
- 0.5 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 0.5 cup Coffee brewed dark and cooled
- 2 tablespoons Whisky
Instructions
Honey Ginger Cake
- Line a 10” cake tin with baking paper and lightly spray edges with vegetable oil.
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Measure flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger into a large bowl and blend well. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix sugars with eggs till well-blended. Stream in oil, whisking well.
- Blend into egg mixture honey, vanilla extract, coffee, and whisky.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and blend with a large spatula till just combined, making sure there are no clumps.
- Pour into pan and bake in bottom third of oven till a skewer comes out clean from the center, 30-35min.
Caramelized Apples
- In heavy-bottomed sauté pan, cook sugar and vanilla bean seeds over medium heat till light amber caramel. Carefully add apples, lemon juice and cook till translucent. Just before finished cooking, add whisky and simmer 1-3minutes till reduced.
- Slice cake to serve, garnish with caramelized apples and sauce and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Now here is a dessert the whole family can get behind! The sumptuous familiarity of fall in the caramelized apple garnish, and the warm comfort of ginger and honey in this decadent cake… what’s not to love! If your family is a big fan of the ginger flavor, feel free to grate some fresh ginger right on in the mix, a little goes a long way and can not hurt this hearty cake!
As for the whiskey caramelized apples, if there are some in your group who love the little extra ‘punch’ to their evening, I like serving a full shot alongside this desert. Why not? Find your designated driver for the evening and have second dessert helpings!
In the fall, this cake goes spectacularly well with two other fall fruit favorites: cranberries or pears. Do them up any which way you like and pair them with this cake and you will find you cannot miss.
Line a 10” cake tin with baking paper and lightly spray edges with vegetable oil. Preheat oven to 325F. Measure the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger into a large bowl and blend well. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the sugars with eggs till well-blended. Stream in the vegetable oil, whisking well. Then blend in the honey, vanilla extract, coffee, and whisky. It’s important to make sure everything is the same temperature here– hot coffee will cook the eggs in the mixture! So take your time. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and blend with a large whisk till just combined, making sure there are no clumps.
Pour into pan and bake in bottom third of oven till a skewer comes out clean from the center, 30-35min.
I like to prepare the apples while the cake is baking, so I can fool myself into thinking I am getting two things done in less time! Find the greenest, most tart Green Apples you can find– these cook the best! Red apples are great for eating in general but for baking and cooking, firm tart green ones are the way to go.
As for making a ‘pan caramel’, which is the first step in this recipe, simply add the sugar to a nice dry heavy-bottomed sauté pan (if you have a nice cast iron, all the better!), and turn the heat to medium and stand by to watch it for a bit longer than you normally might! Additionally I find it a great trick to rub the vanilla bean seeds into the sugar– this helps distribute the seeds and really release their flavor.
So, without further ado, in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan, cook sugar and vanilla bean seeds over medium-high heat till they have reached a light amber caramel. Carefully add the apples, lemon juice and cook on medium, stirring minimally, till the apples are translucent. Just before finished cooking, add whisky and simmer 1-3 minutes till slightly reduced.
Slice the cake to serve, garnish with caramelized apples and apple pan caramel sauce and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Ingredients
Whiskey-Caramelized Apples
- 1 cup Sugar
- 4-5 medium Green Apples peeled cored and sliced
- 1 whole Vanilla Bean seeded
- 0.5 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Whiskey
Honey Ginger Cake
- 2.5 cups All Purpose Flour
- 0.5 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 0.5 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 0.5 teaspoons Salt
- 1.25 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1.5 cups Sugar
- 0.25 cups Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 0.5 cup Vegetable Oil
- 10 tablespoons Honey
- 0.5 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 0.5 cup Coffee brewed dark and cooled
- 2 tablespoons Whisky
Instructions
Honey Ginger Cake
- Line a 10” cake tin with baking paper and lightly spray edges with vegetable oil.
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Measure flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger into a large bowl and blend well. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix sugars with eggs till well-blended. Stream in oil, whisking well.
- Blend into egg mixture honey, vanilla extract, coffee, and whisky.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and blend with a large spatula till just combined, making sure there are no clumps.
- Pour into pan and bake in bottom third of oven till a skewer comes out clean from the center, 30-35min.
Caramelized Apples
- In heavy-bottomed sauté pan, cook sugar and vanilla bean seeds over medium heat till light amber caramel. Carefully add apples, lemon juice and cook till translucent. Just before finished cooking, add whisky and simmer 1-3minutes till reduced.
- Slice cake to serve, garnish with caramelized apples and sauce and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
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