Apple pecan pound cake

Delicious tart-sweet apples and nuts make this apple pecan pound cake slightly sweet, light and perfect for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea.

If cake could be called “healthy” – this would be it. Have guests stopping by or family visiting for the holidays? I recommend this easy recipe to keep everyone happy. Granny-smith apples add just the perfect amount of tart yet sweet apple flavor to the cake. They are crisp apples and when cooked their natural sweetness comes out.

Apple pecan pound cake

1. 1 1/3 cup granny smith apples (peeled and chopped)

2. 1/2 cup butter (softened)

3. 1 1/4 cup sugar

4. 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

5. 1 cup all-purpose flour

6. 1/2 tbsp baking powder

7. 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

8. 1/2 cup chopped pecans

9. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a skillet and sauté the apple until they soften, then set aside.

10. In a mixing bowl, cream the remaining butter with the sugar until it is fluffy. Add the vanilla. Add one egg at a time and incorporate well.

11. In a separate large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until blended. Fold in the apples and the pecans last.

12. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Add the cake mixture to the pan. Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan onto a rack to continue cooling.

Finishing the cake:

1. Add 1 tbsp brown sugar to ¼ cup granola (your favorite kind) and mix. Add this topping to the top of the cake batter just prior to baking.

2. Sprinkle 1 tbsp confectioner’s sugar through a sieve lightly on top of the cake when it is baked and cooled completely.

Source: northwestspoon.com

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