Apple Cake Muffins

There are times I’m in the mood for a nice piece of cake but know that we will be a very small crowd. So, I can always make muffins but that’s not cake, it’s a muffin. There are a number of differences between cake and muffins, primarily the amount of fat/oil/butter/marg and sugar but it reflects in the texture. And in my mind’s eye, a cupcake is always an overly sweetened thing with over the top icing or frosting. I really know it’s not always so, but anyway. So this is really like cake and very light and fluffy in texture. I served it for Rosh Hashana, although it’s good for any time and it was such a hit that people had more than one! That’s saying something, especially after a serious dinner.

A note. When I say to chop the (peeled) apples finely, take me seriously. Apples take a long time to cook in the oven and if they are finely chopped, the zapping them briefly in the microwave and 20 plus baking minutes will be sufficient to our cause, if not, you’ll get hard bits in your cake muffins and that’s just a no no.

So gather your ingredients together and preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Prepare 2 twelve cup muffin tins and place paper liners inside. Don’t forget the liners or the cake muffins will stick!! You’ll be aggravated, fair warning.

Peel the apples and core and chop them finely.

I actually chopped them further.

Add the second bit of sugar (1/3 cup) and cinnamon and zap in the microwave for 3 minutes full power. Do not skip this amount of sugar, the recipe needs it.

Remove from microwave and add the two tablespoons of flour and toss.

This is important since it will absorb the juices from the apples. K. Set aside and it’ll look like this.

Note the mixture sinks a bit. That’s correct since you’ve cooked it a bit in the microwave.

Now put the eggs and the 1 3/4 cups of sugar together in your mixer.

Whip together till light in color and fluffy.

Add the vanilla, juice and oil, beat briefly and add the flour, baking powder (yes, 4 teaspoons, no mistake there) and the salt and mix just till fully combined but not more. Use a spatula to make sure it’s all been incorporated properly, scraping all about.

K. Remember your apple mixture? Yup now’s the time, tip the whole lot into the batter and flick on and off just till mixed.

And you get a slightly lumpy batter which it should be.

Those are the apple bits, natch. Now don’t be concerned if the batter seems a bit thin, that’s fine. Remember it’s fluffy in the end. Just to make life a bit easier for myself, I poured the batter into a measuring cup (it came to 5 cups worth so I needed one big one and one small) to pour into the muffin cups but you can pour from the mixing bowl with a steady hand, however it’s easier for you.

I used pretty gold foil muffin papers and it gives a festive appearance but any liners will do.

Place muffin tins into hot oven and bake for about 22-25 minutes or till medium brown on top and a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Light and fluffy, freezes excellently well, redolent of apples and cinnamon, what could be bad? Since they are light and fluffy and softer than muffins, freeze them in the tin and then when frozen, remove and place in ziploc bags. Be careful not to set things on top of them since even frozen they are soft. They defrost quickly.

Apple Cake Muffins

Apple Mixture:

3 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped fine
1/3 cup (67 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour

Cake batter:

4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (350 grams) sugar
1 cup (240 ml) oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice
3 cups flour + 2 tablespoons (375 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Prepare 24 muffin cups by lining with paper liners suited for the oven.

Mix apples with sugar and cinnamon and microwave apples for 3 minutes full power, remove from microwave add 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss to coat and set aside.

For cake batter, whip the sugar and eggs together till light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes) and add oil, vanilla, juice and beat briefly. Add flour, salt and baking powder and mix just till incorporated, scraping sides and bottom of mixing bowl to make sure it’s all mixed. Add the apple/sugar/cinnamon mixture and flick on and off just till mixed in. Batter is somewhat thin. Pour evenly into the prepared muffin cups and bake 22-25 minutes or till muffins are medium brown and a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the muffin tin on wire racks. These freeze excellently well. I recommend freezing in the muffin tin till frozen and then you can put them in ziploc bags.