It's apple-pickin' time! Actually, the weather recently has been less than cooperative, but my toddler and I are ready to head to our local orchard to pick basket-fuls, maybe at the beginning of next week. In the meantime, we did stop earlier this week and pick up a five-pound bag of McIntosh apples, and some apple cider, which we consumed in two days! I found a great apple cake recipe online via a blog I follow, and I've been antsy to try it. Today has been gloomy, gray and wet, so it was the perfect day to bake! And man, does my house smell GOOD! Here's the recipe, from Shiksa in the Kitchen (www.theshiksa.com):

Honey Apple Cake

3 eggs
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used slightly less)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. allspice (I didn't have any)
dash of ground cloves (I opted not to use cloves)
4 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and shredded (I used 5 small McIntosh apples)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are frothy.  Whisk in the honey, white sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and spices.  Incorporate the flour mixture into the liquid  and stir to blend.  Fold in the shredded apples. 

      Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray, making sure to evenly coat the entire inner surface.  Pour the batter into the pan and smooth with a spatula so it is smooth and even all the way around the pan.  Bake for 75-90 minutes.  When the edges darken and pull away from the sides of the pan, and the cake browns all the way across the surface, it should be done. You should be able to insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the cake and come out clean. It's a very moist cake, do not undercook.  Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Allow cake to cool completely.

      Make a "drizzle icing" by combining 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp. vanilla and 1-2 TBL milk. Stir with a whisk or fork to blend.  Pour the icing into a Ziploc bag, guiding the icing towards one of the corners of the bag. Cut the very tip of that corner off the bag and drizzle the icing onto the cake in a zig-zag pattern. Allow icing to dry before serving.

My, what an impressive looking cake! My daughter and I gave it a big thumbs-up after tasting it; it was not too sweet and was definitely moist. And if that wasn't a big enough project for today, while stuck in the house with a very energetic toddler, this is what my dining room table still looks like (mid-creativity)! So much to do - so little energy!