apple cinnamon buttermilk cake

Fall is in the air and I couldn’t be more excited.  I love everything about the fall: the crisp chill of the air, college football, cozy sweaters, the turning leaves, and most of all, the flavors of fall!   I am crazy about anything pumpkin, apple, maple, and cinnamon, and to me, there’s nothing better than the comfort of soup, stew, or chili on a fall day.  What can I say?  I love the fall!


While I usually tend to choose pumpkin desserts over apple desserts, lately I have found myself dreaming of all things apple.  To start off, I tried my hand at an Apple Galette, but it didn’t turn out quite as I had hoped.  The filling wasn’t anything spectacular and I could use a little work with my pastry dough skills.  Since I was only semi-satisfied with that dessert, I tried again and made this Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake.  It was a winner!  


The cake was a wonderful fall night dessert!  It was light, fluffy, and moist with a wonderful cinnamon flavor.  It is topped with the apple chunks, which I really enjoyed because it left a substantial part that was “pure” cake.  I think if I were to make it again, I would double the cake recipe and make it in a bundt pan for a higher cake to apple ratio.  The cake is finished off with a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon, which gave the cake a soft and sweet crust.  Paired with a scoop of ice cream (we had butter pecan!), it was a slice of heaven.  

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake
from Pinch My Salt


1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup peeled and chopped apple (I used 2 small granny smith apples)
Heaping tablespoon sugar (raw sugar would be the best, but I used granulated)
Extra cinnamon for sprinkling


Directions:


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Lightly grease and flour a 9″ cake pan.  


In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.


In large bowl with electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.  


With the mixer on low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing until completely combined.  Then add 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture, beating until completely combined.  Then add 1/3 of flour mixture, mix until combined, add the last 1/2 of buttermilk, mix until combined, then add the rest of flour and mix until combined.  Make sure to scrape down the edges after each addition.  


Scrape the batter into prepared cake pan.  Scatter the apple pieces evenly over cake batter, then sprinkle with sugar, then a light dusting of cinnamon.  


Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully invert the pan to remove the cake onto a plate.  Serve plain, with whipped cream, ice cream, or caramel sauce.  

related posts: