Spiced Apple-Apricot Cakes

A wonderful treat with all the flavors of fall that is naturally made without most allergens, means you can enjoy something sweet without compromising. You could also substitute the flour with your favorite gluten free mix and end up with an entirely allergy free option!

Ingredients

• Nonstick baking spray
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ cups canola oil
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ cup applesauce
• ⅓ cup apricot all-fruit spread or jam
• 3 cups Granny Smith, or other tart variety of apples, peeled and diced into ¼” chunks (4-5 apples)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a large muffin tin with paper wrappers or lightly spray a bundt-style pan with nonstick baking spray. You should end up with 12-15 muffins, depending on your pan and wrapper sizes.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, spices, baking soda and baking powder.
4. In a separate bowl, whip together the oil and sugar with an electric mixer, increasing gradually to high speed, for a total of 3 minutes. It’ll seem a bit runny, but that’s fine, it’ll thicken a bit in the next step.
5. Add the applesauce and apricot spread and mix on high speed for another minute until creamy.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix for a few seconds on low and then on medium speed until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and continue mixing just until uniform.
7. Fold in the apples with a spatula until evenly combined.
8. Scoop batter into the muffin tins or pour everything into the prepared bundt pan.
9. Muffins should take about 35 minutes to bake and the larger bundt will take about 60 to 70 minutes. Rotate the bundt pan halfway through, if going that route. In either case, make sure you test the center of the muffins or cake for doneness with a toothpick, which should come out clean.

Notes:

• The cake may take a bit longer to bake if the apples are particularly juicy.
• Turn the cake out of the pan onto a cooking rack or a plate immediately after removing from the oven or it might stick to the pan as it cools.