Fall is Here! (Allegedly)

The First Day of Autumn came some while ago and there was even an adorable animated Google Doodle to commemorate the occasion!  It's a little strange to think of autumn, Halloween and fall-ish things when the kids and I are walking home from school here in Southern California.  The sun is shining very brightly and with the weather at 90F, there is not even a hint of that crisp, smoky air that usually accompanies this time of year.

To celebrate the arrival of a new season, I baked this ginger apple cake.  Yes, I will cling to any excuse to bake something sweet.

The cake was a big success and it packed well for the kids to enjoy at school the next day.  Upon tasting, I remarked, "Wow, this tastes better than I thought it would.  It's pretty good!"  Dr. Obvious gushed, "No, it's not pretty good.  It's freakin' amazing."  Now, to me, if a dessert is "freakin' amazing" and there isn't any chocolate in it, I think that is freakin' amazing.  It's certainly noteworthy, at the very least.

Ginger Apple Cake – Food 52.com by "drbabs"

• 3 large apples (I used Honeycrisp and Fuji.)
• 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter + ~2 TB butter + more for pan
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (if you want more of a gingery kick; optional)
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (I peeled a 2 inch piece and grated it with a microplane grater)
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 10 walnut halves

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9” springform pan. If you are concerned about your springform pan leaking, wrap the bottom with aluminum foil.
2. Core and peel apples, and cut into thin slices. Melt ~2 TB of butter in saucepan and cook until it is lightly browned. Stir in apple slices until all slices are covered with browned butter. Sprinkle ~2 TB turbinado sugar over apples, and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, till apples are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger (if using) and salt. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Beat in two eggs. Beat in lemon zest, ginger, molasses, rum, and vanilla extract. (The mixture will look curdled. It's OK.)
5. Stir in the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring after each addition so the batter is thick and smooth. Fold in the milk and yogurt till batter is smooth and thoroughly combined.
6. Scrape half the batter into the prepared springform pan. Cover with apple slices, and spread the other half of the batter over the apples. Smooth top with spatula. Place walnut halves on the top of the cake, and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar over the top of the cake.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake may slightly pull away from the sides of the pan.
8. Transfer to a cooling rack. Run a knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it completely from the sides of the pan. Open the ring and remove it. If you want to remove the cake from the base of the springform pan, wait until it has cooled completely, then slide a long thin spatula between the cake and the base. Use a large spatula to then move it to a serving plate.
9. Serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a blob of barely sweetened softly whipped cream.