Molly Gilbert Makes Apple Fritter Cake

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Recipe
Serves 24

Cake

• Unsalted butter or nonstick cooking spray
• 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 4 cups chopped peeled apples (about 3 large; I like a
  mix of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious)

Glaze

• 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon whole milk

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the center position. Grease a sheet pan with butter.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, melted butter, and oil until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and whisk well to combine.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough just comes together. Fold in the apples until evenly distributed.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly to the corners with a large offset spatula. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cake is deeply golden and the edges just start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Set the sheet pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool for 20 to 25 minutes
6. Make the glaze: Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring often with a rubber spatula, until the butter turns a toasted, amber color (it will bubble and spit; when it quiets down, check for browning). Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and milk until smooth.
7. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cooled cake. Let set for 5 minutes.
8. Slice the cake into pieces and serve. The cake is best the day it’s made, but will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Sheet Pan Sweets by Molly Gilbert (‎Union Square & Co., October 2022). Photography by Dana Gallagher.

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