Apple Squares – An Autumnal Treat

This easy apple cake recipe is a perfect fall bake to take advantage of the plentiful fruit offerings from markets and grocery stores.

Apple Squares – Cuadros de manzana

Printable recipe: Apple Squares – Cuadros de manzana

Ingredients (for 24 squares)

6 apples, such as Golden Delicious, Spartan, or McIntosh; washed
2 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp lime juice
4 eggs
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil, plus more to grease the mould

Prepare a 9x13x2 inch rectangular pan by greasing all inside surfaces with oil, and sprinkling with about one quarter of a cup of sugar, to coat. Reserve.

Peel and core three of the apples, and finely grate into a bowl. Allow to rest so they darken:

Meanwhile, peel the rest of the apples, cut into quarters, remove core, and slice thinly. Place in another bowl, sprinkling with four tablespoons of sugar, and the lime juice, for flavour, and to keep them from browning:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

In another bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder together. Reserve.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with one cup of sugar (photo below, left); mix until well incorporated, and all the sugar has dissolved. Add the reserved flour mix, sifting over the egg mix (photo below, right):

Mix well, then pour in the oil, incorporating to the batter (photo below, left). Finally, add the reserved grated apples, folding with a spatula (photo below, right):

Continue mixing until the batter is smooth and uniform, Pour into prepared pan, then tap the bottom gently to release air bubbles. Arrange reserved apple slices on top:

Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the mould, approximately 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down for a few minutes. Slide a spatula or knife along the edges, then slice into twenty four squares before serving:

The apple flavour is present both in the moist baked base, and in the topping, which remains juicy and fresh.

This apple cake is great for coffee or tea time, and also makes a nice contribution to a potluck or a bake sale (second from left, in the photo below):

Apple pies and cakes are popular desserts in many countries; to give this apple cake a boost of Mexican flavour, it may be prepared with ground piloncillo or dark Muscovado sugar instead of regular granulated, and before serving, topped with a drizzle of cajeta (Mexican goat’s milk caramel, click here to try my recipe for homemade, or see below for store-bought.)

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