Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

When I started this blog it was to escape from the reality of living in Fairbanks. It wasn't exactly a secret that I wasn't too happy here. I wanted my old life back. I missed all the things that came so easy living in the Pacific Northwest. This blog was evidence of that. I constantly used hard to obtain ingredients in my recipes. Yes, I was kind and provided links to where I had ordered them from. Most of my recipes were challenging multi-step, expensive ingredient ordeals. For me, spending all that time in the kitchen was a means of escape.
Slowly, something started to click. Although I got a lot of great comments about my photos and how good the food looked, I was also getting a lot of comments to the effect of, “I could never do that”. The more involved I became in the food community, the more I didn’t want food to be difficult. I honestly believe that eating at home is easier, and much cheaper than eating out.
Despite my resistance, Fairbanks has been good to me. In the process, life has become quite a bit busier.  I want recipes that are easier to make. That is not to say that I won’t on occasion be making some more involved meals. You can expect things to be a little more basic around here. This Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake is the perfect example. It is perfect for the season, and makes your house smell great on a cool Saturday morning. It takes a bit of time to bake, but doesn’t use too many dishes, so you can take that time to enjoy a cup of coffee and relax. Isn’t that really what good food is all about?

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
adapted from New York Times Cookbook

2 apples,peeled, cored, and sliced thin (I prefer two different types, for this recipe I used a Gala and a Honeycrisp)

1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons for apples

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Grease a 9 inch square cake pan. Combine apples with 2 tablespoons sugar, and cinnamon; set aside.

Mix together flour, remaining 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add eggs, oil, orange juice and vanilla. Mix with a wooden spoon until well blended. Batter will be thick. Spoon about 1/3 of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Make sure the bottom is covered completely, add a little extra if you need to. The thick batter can be difficult to spread evenly, I found a small offset spatula very handy for this task. Place apples on top of batter taking care not to let them touch the edges of the pan. Spread apples evenly across batter. Dallop remaining batter over the top, then spread evenly over the apple mixture. It is fine if some of the apples peak through the top of the batter.

Bake until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Allow cake to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Best served warm.