When December arrives, you can bet fruit cakes will start flooding store shelves like festive confetti. And to be honest? Even seeing one is too much for me. Something about that chewy texture and odd blend of ingredients just doesn’t scream holiday cheer.
So, when this month’s Foodie Extravaganza theme turned out to be—you guessed it—fruit cake, I was tempted to sit it out. But then inspiration struck: what if I could reimagine fruit cake into something I’d actually enjoy eating? That’s exactly what I did. Out went the mystery fruit bits, and in came crisp apples and cozy spices. The end result? A warm, spiced cinnamon apple cake that disappeared almost instantly. (Yes, I shared… but only because my family beat me to it.)
If the thought of classic fruit cake makes you grimace, this aromatic, apple-packed version just might change your mind. Scroll to the bottom for 8 more fresh takes on fruit cake from fellow bakers.
🍎 Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Softened butter | ½ cup |
| Brown sugar | ½ cup |
| Granulated sugar | ½ cup |
| All-purpose flour | 2¼ cups |
| Oat flour | 1 cup |
| Eggs | 2 |
| Salt | 1 tsp |
| Baking soda | 1½ tsp |
| Ground cinnamon | 3 Tbsp |
| Ground ginger | ½ tsp |
| Unsweetened applesauce | 2 cups |
| Diced apples | 3 cups |
| Chopped pecans | 1½ cups |
| Powdered sugar | 1 cup |
| Milk | 2 Tbsp |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp |
👩🍳 Instructions
see continuation on next page
