Apple blondie, aka German apple cake

German apple cake. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Throughout November, I'm highlighting recipes with apples - probably my favorite fruit to bake with, (ok, I love lemon, too, so it's a toss-up between lemons and apples). The fresh apples of autumn are a baker's best friend. Here's a recipe for a German Apple Cake from Atlanta blogger Lisa Kuebler. It's rather like an apple-stuffed blondie and it's delicious.

German Apple Cake, or Apple Blondie

2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups apples, peeled, cored, and diced (a mix of Granny Smith and Gala works well)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and oil until creamy.  Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.

3. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.  Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined.  The batter will be very thick (like a dough).  Fold in the apples by hand.  The dough will be thick, but will turn into a lovely, dense, sweet cake. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Check out the rest of my apple stories and recipes, here on A Cook and Her Books! Begin with my pictures of beautiful Blue Ridge in the heart of Georgia apple country.

More apple recipes:

Apple crisp
French thin-crust apple tart
Classic apple dumplings
Short-cut apple dumplings
Applesauce
Apple blondie

Three more recipes on A Cook and Her Books that use apples:

• My prize-winning Morning Glory Muffins
• Chicken soup with Indian spices: Mulligatawny
• Perfect for lunchboxes: Kid-friendly sushi

Text and images copyright 2011, Lucy Mercer.