Sweet On You Apple Honey Cake
Serves 16
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cored, peeled and chopped granny smith apples
2 teaspoons of orange zest
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled
Candied Orange Strips & Glaze
1 orange
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3-4 tablespoons of orange juice
Preheat the oven to 325F. Spray a 16 cup fluted bundt pan with canola oil. Put the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until blended; add the sugar, oil, honey and coffee and mix well. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Fold in the apples and the zest. Pour the batter into the greased bundt pan. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, make the candied orange strips: In a 2 quart saucepan bring half the sugar and water to boil. Zest the orange in long strips. Add the zest to sugar mixture and simmer 9-10 minutes until zest is translucent. Strain the zest and put it on a cooling rack; reserve the syrup. Roll the zest in remaining sugar and let dry.
Cool the cake for 10 minutes, loosen it from the sides and center of the pan and invert it onto a cooling rack with a baking pan lined with foil underneath. Glaze the hot cake by brushing it with the reserved syrup. Cool completely.
Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl and add whisk in 3 tablespoons of orange juice, if its too stiff, whisk in an additional tablespoon of juice. Pour the frosting over the top of the glazed cake. Let the frosting set before serving.