Apple Cake With Honey Sauce

The sauce used here is also available as a standalone recipe: Honey Sauce (for Apple Cake).

Ingredients

For the cake

• 5 to 6 firm apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch (1 cm) slices I used Granny Smith
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) cinnamon
• 2 1/4 cups (540 ml) sugar
• 3 cups (720 ml) flour, plus more for dusting the pan
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) baking powder
• 1 cup (240 ml) canola oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract

For the honey sauce

• 1 cup (240 ml) honey
• 1 cup (240 ml) apple juice or cider

Directions

1. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C). Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch (25 cm) tube pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cinnamon and 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the sugar, then add the apples and toss to combine. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the remaining sugar, flour, baking powder, oil, eggs, orange juice, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat just until the batter is smooth.
4. Pour an inch of the batter into the prepared pan and top it with a layer of apple slices, taking care not to let the apples touch the side of the pan. Then add alternating layers of apple slices and batter, ending with the batter. You should have 4 layers of batter and 3 of apples.
5. Bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes on a wire rack, then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool thoroughly.
6. To make the honey sauce, combine the honey and apple juice or cider in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, continue boiling until the mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. For a thicker sauce, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, a few minutes more, until it reaches the desired consistency.
7. Serve the cake with the warm honey sauce on the side or with whipped cream.