This cake isn’t fancy. It isn’t the kind of cake that you would serve at a high-class tea or decorate for someone’s birthday. This cake is homey, rustic, and just cries out to be served alongside a steaming cup of tea on a rainy day.

Makes: 1 8 inch square cake

Ingredients:

• Cake
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 gala apples, peeled, cored and cubed
  • 3/4 cup walnut pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk
• Topping
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup walnut pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees f
2. Oil an 8 inch square pan and line the bottom with parchment
3. Combine brown sugar (3/4 cup), vegetable oil (1/4 cup), egg (1) and vanilla (1 tsp) in a large bowl
4. In a medium bowl, stir together flour (1 1/2 cups), baking soda (1/2 tsp) and salt (1/2 tsp)
5. Add chopped apples (2) and walnut pieces (3/4 cup) to dry ingredients and stir together
6. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture, add buttermilk (1 cup) and stir together until just combined
7. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly
8. Stir together topping ingredients (1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 cup walnuts) and sprinkle evenly over cake
9. Bake 30-40 minutes, until edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (see notes)
10. Let cool before removing from pan

Notes:

• When you are checking for doneness with a toothpick, you may need to try a few times until you don’t hit a piece of apple