Let's be real here folks, my everyday life can be fairly boring and routine. There is work Monday through Friday that occasionally rolls into the weekends...well definitely during meeting season. Sometimes there is yoga in the mornings followed by runs in the evenings, as well as nights of baking. My weekends are filled with cleaning up, more running and well errands. I think it is time to start shaking things up...I mean just a little...let's not get too crazy here. And by shaking things, up I mean looking for a new house, moving in with the boy who will finally be back from Scotland, and ultimately trying my hand at not planning my every waking hour. I mean I am 26, and have definitely at times in my life have been told I act like a 40 year old, so its time for a bit more fun.
This is my everyday work life...two screens are totally necessary.
I think I need more weekend trips that help break up my monotonous weeks...I am so excited to be heading to Birmingham next weekend! I think I need to branch out from my baking and throw caution to the wind by trying out some new recipes for dinner. Do you have any suggestions? (P.S. I am totally terrible about cooking dinner for myself.) I need more brunch dates and dinner parties. I need a little and a lot of change all at the same time, because as someone once said "The only thing in life that is constant is change," and that's not always such a bad thing. I can feel it coming and I am nervous and excited all at the same time. For the mean time though to take my mind off of everything for just a hot second...or well hour it was time to bake a cake.
This cake continues with my healthier February adventure in baking. We are substituting butter for Earth Balance. We are taking out some sugar, but adding some creamy non-fat Greek yogurt. This cake is jammed packed with cinnamon goodness; with the apples and walnuts adding great crunch. This is totally a bundt cake appropriate for breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack...really whenever. Give it a try and Enjoy!
Earth Balance buttery spread meet sugar...You guys are totally going to be friends now.
Hello dry ingredients...flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
Slice the apples nice and thin as they are going to sit nicely in the middle of this cake.
Cake batter ready!
Time to play with our food a bit as I layer the apples out.
Layering the apples in the middle with a little cinnamon sugar and pecans. Then we will finish this off with the remaining cake batter.
Filling:
1 large Granny Smith or other tart apple, pealed and thinly sliced
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cake batter:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery spread, softened or 1 stick unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup skim milk
3/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1. Preheat oven to 350°. To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup bundt pan with baking spray.
2. Peal and slice one Granny Smith apple into super thin slices. In a small bowl mix, 1 tablespoon of sugar with one teaspoon of cinnamon and set aside. In a small saute pan over medium heat, toast 1/4 cup walnuts until you can smell them and they are slightly browned. Then chop them in to small pieces.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the Earth Balance and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, eggs and egg yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium mixing bowl, soft together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Combine milk and yogurt in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined.
4. Spoon one-third of batter into prepared pan; sprinkle batter with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Lay out the sliced apples, and top with remaining cinnamon-sugar and toasted walnuts. Spoon remaining batter on top of the apples and then top with any apple slices you might have leftover.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes; remove cake from pan. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Here are the health facts per serving: (getting 12 servings out of the cake)
249 calories per serving
Total Fat 10.3g
Saturated Fat 2.5g
Trans fat 0g
Cholesterol 50mg
Total Carbohydrates 33.3g
Dietary Fiber 1.3g
Sugar 16.2g
Protein 5.9g
Of Daily...
Vitamin A 2%
Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 8%
Iron 8%
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