Apple Cake

I've been drooling over this apple cake on the Smitten Kitchen's blog.  So, finally, I bit the bullet and made it the other day and it's just awesome.  It is so good.  So tasty.  So moist!  And as much as I love kitchen gadgets, I do not own a tube pan, so I used my trusty Pyrex 9 x 13 glass casserole dish and it worked out just fine.  I will post the ingredients and directions here now:

Ingredients:

6 apples, McIntosh

1 tablespoon of cinnamon (I think I'd use a touch less, personally, for next time).

5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola b/c the store did not have veggie oil).

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional - I did not use walnuts).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a tube pan (or 9 x 13).  Peel, core and chop apples into chunks.  (This part nearly killed my right hand).  Toss with the cinnamon and sugar and set aside. 

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.  

In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla extract.

Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time.

Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Spread half of the apple mixture over it.  Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top.  Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.  Buon Appetito!