Cake or cupcake, apple

PJ Hamel’s selected apple cake pairs finely diced apples and toasted walnuts with a brown-sugar frosting. Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg provide the selected spice combination, while the apple pieces give the cake a moist, slightly chunky texture.

Flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, table salt, the spices, two eggs and softened unsalted butter are mixed just until uniformly crumbly. Peeled, cored apples and toasted walnuts are added next, with boiled cider offered optionally in the cake batter.

Mixing continues as the apples release juice and the mixture becomes a thick, creamy batter. It is spread and smoothed into a greased rectangular pan, then baked, with a foil cover added only if the top browns quickly.

For the frosting, a separate portion of unsalted butter melts with the selected light brown sugar and table salt. Milk and boiled cider bring the mixture to a boil; after a brief cooling period, sifted icing sugar and vanilla are whisked into the warm syrup.

The warm frosting is spread across the cake. Slices combine the apple-and-walnut crumb with a smooth frosting that the baker compares to brown-sugar fudge, giving this version its rich, sweet finish.