Description
A 9-inch square snack cake with diced tart-sweet apples, a cinnamon ribbon through the crumb, and a thin brown-butter vanilla glaze that sets.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake:
- 2 medium tart-sweet apples (about 14 oz / 397 g total), peeled, cored, and cut into ~1/4-inch dice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (8 g)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (5 g), divided
- 1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder (8 g)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt (2 g)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (0.5 g), optional
- 2 large eggs (about 100 g total without shells)
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
- 1/3 cup (65 g) brown sugar (packed) for the cinnamon ribbon
Glaze:
- 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups (150 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml)
- 2 to 4 tbsp (30 to 60 ml) milk, as needed for a thin drizzle
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment so you can lift out squares easily; lightly grease the parchment.
- Toss the diced apples with cornstarch and 1/4 cup (50 g) of the granulated sugar. Add 1 tsp (2 g) cinnamon. Set aside while you mix the batter.
- Make the cinnamon ribbon: stir together the brown sugar and the remaining 1 tsp (2 g) cinnamon in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg (if using).
- In another bowl, whisk eggs, melted butter, vanilla, milk, and the remaining 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar until smooth.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir just until no dry streaks remain.
- Fold in the apples and any juices in the bowl. The batter will be thick and apple-speckled.
- Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle small spoonfuls of the cinnamon ribbon mixture over the top, then gently drag a butter knife or skewer through the surface 6–8 times to create swirls (don’t fully mix it in).
- Bake 35 to 42 minutes, until edges are golden and the center springs back slightly. A toothpick in the center should come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then lift out using parchment and cool on a rack until warm-to-the-touch (about 35–45 minutes).
- Brown the butter for the glaze: in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tbsp (57 g) butter. Continue cooking until it turns deep golden and smells nutty, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove from heat.
- Whisk powdered sugar and vanilla into the warm browned butter. Add milk 1 tbsp (15 ml) at a time until the glaze is thin enough to drizzle but not run like water. Add a pinch of salt.
- Drizzle glaze over the cake. Let set 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Apple size matters: aim for ~1/4-inch dice so fruit bakes through without turning gummy. If your apples are larger, bake an extra 5 minutes and re-check with the moist-crumb toothpick test. For clean slices, wait until the cake is warm-to-the-touch before glazing and fully cool until slicing.