Inspired Edibles

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Apple Streusel Square Cake

By 54 Comments

I like the look of this country-style apple streusel cake almost as much as the taste.

With Canadian Thanksgiving upon us (is it just me, or did that happen at warp speed?), I thought it might be nice to have a simple and delicious dessert option that is not drenched in sugar.

My son and I were so captivated by this eggless recipe, that we decided to play…

This cake is fulsome and satisfying – big on flavour with just the right amount of sweet.  Perfect for dessert or with your favourite afternoon tea or coffee.
Apple Streusel Square Cake
For the Cake:
    • 2 cups whole wheat flour (or try one cup WW and one cup AP)
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp ground clove
    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1/2 cup demerara sugar*
    • 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce 

 

  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Streusel Topping:
  • 1/2 seasonal apple of choice, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
  • 2 Tbsp demerara sugar
  • 1 Tbsp oatmeal flakes
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

*I particularly like demerara sugar for this recipe – demerara is a minimally refined sugar that has a gorgeous natural brown colour with large, earthy crystals that impart a somewhat crunchy texture when used for topping.  You can find demerara in most large grocery stores or your local health food store.

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Heat oven to 350 F.
Place all dry cake ingredients, (except sugar), together in a bowl and mix by hand.
In a separate, larger bowl, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.  Mix in applesauce and vanilla. 
Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing by hand just until combined (do not over mix).
Place batter in a parchment lined square cake pan (allow parchment to hang over sides of pan by a couple of inches to facilitate lifting cake out of pan).  Arrange sliced apples over batter in any design you like (I thought my son did a bang-up job with this!).
Combine 2 Tbsp demerara, oatmeal and cinnamon together in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over cake to create a delicious topping for the cake.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove pan from oven and allow the cake to cool somewhat before lifting cake out of pan by using ends of parchment. 
Cut and enjoy.

 

This recipe was adapted from With a Glass’s delightful Eggless Applesauce Cake – Thank you Sissi – our family just loved it!

Comments

  1. I love nuts/seeds in almost all baked goods – unfortunately I have to leave them out of muffins that my sons bring to school due to allergy policies.

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  6. I like the practicality of having a baked good that does not call for egg – that way I don’t have to bother my neighbour! :)

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  11. Thanks Sissi – your apricot tart sounds delightful – have you got that one up on your blog? TG is not our biggest holiday but we do celebrate it.

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  12. Thanks so much Kristy – we had a full and fantastic weekend (some recounting to follow :) It does have that rustic charm doesn’t it?!

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  13. Indeed! I get great ideas from Sissi. Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated but in a lower key fashion than the US – I think this is your biggest holiday, yes?

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  17. No problem at all – happens to me routinely :) I’m glad you saw it because we just love the simplicity and deliciousness of your recipe. My son dreamt up the topping with fresh sliced apples. Cheers Sissi!

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  18. You could try olive oil in place of butter (I do this substitution routinely in muffins) others like the consistency of applesauce in place of butter. Cheers Junia!

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  19. That’s so interesting about the honey glaze… sounds perfect for a topping like this. Will have to give a try sometime. Thanks!

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  20. I made apple cake for my birthday too, subbing five spice for cinnamon and it was dlicious! i’ve heard so much about the demerera sugar tip! must try that! what i did was, I glazed with honey 15 min before it was done, which gave a lovely sweet crispy surface too! but yes, must try demerera sugar!

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  21. I made apple cake for my birthday too, subbing five spice for cinnamon and it was dlicious! i’ve heard so much about the demerera sugar tip! must try that! what i did was, I glazed with honey 15 min before it was done, which gave a lovely sweet crispy surface too! but yes, must try demerera sugar!

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  24. This looks like a fabulous fall cake! I can’t believe the fall holidays are arriving so quickly. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  26. I am so awfully distracted, I haven’t even seen the last lines… I am so sorry! You have made something so much more complex and elaborate than my simple cake! Thank you so much for mentioning me and my blog, I am happy you liked my cake!

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  28. I love recipes that are healthy AND delicious and this looks like it fits the bill for both. Great site!

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  29. Mmmm, streuuuuuuusal. My mother introduced me to the joys of streusal recently when she made a streusal layer cake. Amazing stuff… must post it sometime myself. Totally agree about demerara – I was at a creperie today for lunch and my wife and I decided to have just a simple sugar and butter crepe for dessert. She chose regular sugar, I had the one with demerara sugar. OMG….. Soooooooooo good!

    Great cake Kelly :)

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  31. This does sound fabulous – love apples and spices all wrapped up in one.
    have a great weekend.
    :-) Mandy

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  33. Oh Kelly! This looks phenomenal. Happy Thanksgiving you! I hope that you guys have a wonderful weekend and lots and lots of laughs together. (And for course some delicious food!) I really am diggin’ the apples on the top of this. They look so rustic. :)

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  34. Kelly, I also love demerara sugar. (Here it is also easily found at my Vietnamese shop). I have once made an upside-down apricot tart with tons of demerara. It was so guiltily luscious… I was happy I dared putting as much demerara as advised by Pierre Hermé (my god of confectionery world).
    Your cake looks very comfortingly Wintery and healthy again! (I didn’t know Canadians also had Thanksgiving!).

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  35. Given that I am a totally apple-obsessed person, I am LOVING this cake! It seems like it would be perfect to bring to our morning lab meetings at work.

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  39. Oh my gosh that look so good. I can just see myself nibbling (i.e. devouring) it with a cup of coffee. Great post!

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  40. Wow, this Apple Streusel Square Cake looks amazing… I mean wow. Now I’m hungry lol

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  41. I love that no eggs are involved. Great healthy sweet treat for fall. Sounds delicious! xx

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  42. This apple streusel cake does look perfect for Thanksgiving or for any special occasion.

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  44. This looks delishious! I can’t wait to try it. I am in charge of dessert this thanksgiving weekend. Do I dare try it for the first time with guests?
    Lynn

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  46. I can’t wait to try this recipe, I’m all about clean eating. I too like to use demerara sugar when it’s in my budget, or I’ll just use dried fruit as the sugar instead. I also like to omit egg in some of my baked recipes, I think it’s easier on my digestive tract! Happy early Thanksgiving!

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  48. Kelly, I love this recipe! You know I’m all about healthy ingredients in my desserts! Not that I won’t splurge every now and then, but for the most part I do prefer healthier ingredients…that taste good and this looks awesome! I bet your kitchen was smelling wonderfully!

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  53. Kelly, the colors and textures are as visually appealing as they are seasonally appropriate. What a great Autumn comfort food.

    Reply

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