Apple Chai Spice Loaf Cake
What do these words make you think about? Apples. Chai. Spice. The answer is...Spring, right?
This recipe is 100% part of my fall baking repertoire but I had an apple that was going to go bad and I hate wasting food. Then I ate it and thought, what if someone else has an apple thats about to go bad? And thats how, during the first week of April, we ended up with a very fall-like recipe.
The Goods
Materials:
2 loaf pans
shortening or butter to grease the pans
parchment paper
Dry ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp chai spice blend
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp milk powder*
The other stuff:
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, instead of firmly pressed I do like a medium firm press.
1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup vegetable or coconut oil (maybe some canna-oil?)
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 apple (cut half into small chunks, slice the other half to fan the top of the bread)
1+ Tbsp raw sugar
Steps
Above: My preferred shortening alternative. Line your pans. Mix it up. Top it off.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut a sheet or two of parchment paper so that it fits inside each pan. One strip should go the long way and let it hang over the edges about 2 inches. Grease the inside of both pans, the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Then put in the prepared parchment paper.
Crack the eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Then add the granulated sugar and whisk until a pale yellow (about a minute of whisking!). Next, add the brown sugar and whisk until no clumps are left and it looks well combined.
Whisk in the greek yogurt followed by the oil. Don't pour all of the oil in at once, whisk it as you pour slowly or add a little at a time if you are clumsy like me.
I hate whisking dry and wet ingredients together but its time. You'll have to do it in parts, and by the end I've switched to my spatula.
If you are adding apples, add them here and stir just to combine.
Pour batter evenly between the two loaf pans and tap against the counter to get any air bubbles out.
Arrange the apple slices in whatever artistic manner that moves you. Even if you opt out of the apples make sure you sprinkle some raw sugar (and some extra cinnamon!) on top before you put it in the oven.
Bake for a total of 40-45 minutes. Halfway through, open the oven, take a whiff and rotate the pans. Let it continue baking, insert a toothpick in the middle to make sure its done before taking it out to cool and devour.
