This Apple Spice Pecan Loaf Cake recipe I found in a German cooking magazine is the perfect fall dessert or snack. I thought I was done with apple recipes for the season, but I saw this one and also had more apples in the crisper than I could eat. All the other ingredients I had on hand so this was a no-brainer to throw together.
The Secret to this Recipe:
The recipe for this Apple Spice Pecan Loaf Cake calls for lebkuchen spice which is a more complex spice blend than it’s American gingerbread counterpart. Lebkuchen spice contains both star anise and cardamom powders. If you don’t have either of those in your cabinet, don’t stress, just leave them out. You can add a 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger if you have it.
Usually, I like to double the recommended amounts of spice in a gingerbread recipe to intensify the flavor. If your palate is more refined than mine, stick to the amount in the recipe below.
The secret to this cake’s nutty spicy flavor is adding ground pecans to the batter. This step took all of 2 seconds in the Nutribullet and is a game-changer in the flavor department.
The cake has whole pecans pressed into the top. As a result, it’s important to cover the cake with foil in the oven after 40 minutes. You don’t want those precious and expensive nuts to burn. Alternatively, you can substitute walnuts for the pecans in this recipe. If you have walnut halves on hand, they would look just as pretty pressed into the top of the cake. Also, don’t forget to grind them to add to the batter.
This Apple Spice Pecan Cake cake is delicious on its own. However, the cake absolute heaven smeared with a bit of cream cheese. I sprinkled some ground cinnamon over the top for additional flavor and pretty. Additionally, if you have any spare pecans left, chop them into small pieces and sprinkle them over the cinnamon-spiced cream cheese to take this over the top.
Apple Spice Pecan Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 2 sweet-sour apples
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1+1/3 cups plus 1 cup whole raw shelled pecans, divided
- 1+1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
Instructions
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Peel and core the apples and slice the flesh into small pieces. Place chopped apple in a small bowl and toss with the lemon juice. set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10” loaf pan
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Place 1+1/3 of the pecans in a blender or food processor and grind them to a nut flour consistency.
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Whisk the ground pecans together with the flours and baking powder and set aside.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the salt and spices. Set aside.
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Beat the butter and brown sugar together until creamy. About 3 minutes.
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Add in the blended salt-spice mix.
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Beat in the vanilla extract.
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Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully combined into the batter before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well combined.
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Beat in the ground pecan/flour mixture.
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Fold in the chopped apples. The batter will be thick so fold them in as gently as you can.
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Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Arrange the remaining pecan halves over the top.
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Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
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Cover the top with aluminum foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven, let cool in the pan. Remove from pan transfer to a serving plate, cut and serve.
Like this Apple Spice Pecan Loaf Cake? Also, check out some of these other recipes:
PECAN PINEAPPLE LINZER COOKIES
CHOCOLATE NECTARINE PECAN STREUSEL CAKE
