Whole wheat flour, almond meal, cornmeal, butter, lightly caramelized apples — sometimes you can tell just from the list of ingredients how good something is going to be.    

This cake is a little like a cornbread, a lot like pound cake, so I halved the recipe to bake it in a loaf pan.  I also added a little more fruit.  I’m betting pear would work well in it, too?  (I’m looking for an excuse to make it again.)

Huckleberry’s Whole-Wheat Apple Butter Cake
(adapted from the LA Times)
Makes one 9” x 5” loaf.

For the apples:
1 TB butter
2 medium or medium-large apples, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 TB sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat.  Melt the butter and when foamy, add the apples, sugar, and salt.  Sauté until the apples begin to soften, about 6 minutes.  Spread the apples out on a plate or baking sheet to cool.

For the cake:
1 c. lightly packed almond meal
1/4 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. + 2 TB all-purpose flour
1 1/8 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 c. + 2 TB sugar 
4 eggs
1 TB vanilla extract
2 TB sugar, for the top (optional, I totally forgot it) 

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.  Mix the almond meal, cornmeal, flours, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.  In a larger bowl, cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, mix until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla.  

Gently fold in the flour mixture in three parts, then fold in the apples.  Bake until dark golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.  If the cake is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.  Cool for 15 minutes on a rack before removing the cake from the pan.