Apple Pound Cake With Pine Nuts

The Classic Recipe – Version Using Up Old Apples

For a quick easy dessert you can throw in the oven at same time as something else, apple pound cake is my regular favourite. That classic quatre quart formula of same quantities of butter, sugar, flour and eggs is one I can remember by heart and start making on auto-pilot.

This is the cake I make when I’ve not been shopping and the fruit bowl is looking past its best – when the fridge feels empty but you still crave a proper pudding or cake in a hurry with minimal effort.

Why You’ll Make Apple Pound Cake Over And Over

Pound cake never lets you down. I make variations of pound cake often, and this apple with pine nut version is one I come back to on repeat because:

• The ingredients are things often in the store cupboard.
• Great way to use up tired apples in the fruit bowl.
• Pine nuts elevate the texture and are softer than other nuts.
• You can mix up apple pound cake in fifteen minutes.
• Perfect to bake whilst the oven is already cooking your main course.
• Served almost immediately, it’s a warm, comforting pud that could also be served cold as an afternoon tea time snack.

I had a phase making pound cakes a couple of years ago and stumbled across these previous pictures of my earlier version in a round tin:

Just last night we enjoyed these hearty slices of apple pound cake with pine nuts, served still warm, in bowls with custard. The contrast of warm buttery cake crumb with moist cooked apple and gentle crunch of pine nuts feels special – like I’d slaved over it for hours.

A Cake You Can Make On Auto-Pilot

In fact, I mixed up this easy cake whilst our main course, my reliable Fish Pie with Freezer Ingredients, was already in the oven and then baked them at the same time. Despite running on low energy after being ill this week, it was easy enough to make in under fifteen minutes. But don’t tell my husband, else he’ll expect freshly baked pound cakes more often.

Apple pound cake is my go-to solution for tired apples that have been sat in the fruit bowl for slightly too long. I was amused to watch a reel by @Bonjour.Mate, an Aussie-French mom saying that using up tired fruit bowl bits in cake was a typically French mom’s after school goûter snack solution. I can’t find her reel, but follow her, she’s great.

The Perfect Store Cupboard Standby

We no longer have a school timetable since Ted has gone to university but his arrival home last night for Easter heralded an effort to present proper pudding. Our fridge is bare since last weekend in Rouen – do read my fabulous guide – and we’d not shop until this weekend. So long as I have eggs, this apple pound cake is a store cupboard standby.

“We’re running on fumes!” protested my husband, gazing into our near-empty fridge, two weeks since our last Aldi trip. I admit, the cupboards are barer than usual, but with replenishments of bread and milk, I could keep us going for another fortnight.

One of husband’s bugbears is the lack of biscuits or cake. I prefer not to buy these since Ted went to uni as I will simply hoover them up. So keep dangling the prospect of homemade cake, as described in my Threads post shown above. For several weeks there’s been a loaf tin, with paper liner waiting in the kitchen with a series of blackening bananas in it.

“There’s never any cake,” bemoaned the husband, “That tin is just where bananas go to die.” He was not wrong, as I transported a mushy brown specimen to the compost bin at arm’s length.

On Fruit Sinking To The Bottom Or Not

The version shown above, was yet another occasion when I made apple pound cake: I am including this picture here to prove the fruit and pine nuts do not necessarily slump to the bottom.

The regular tip given to prevent fruit sliding to bottoms of cakes is tossing it in flour. I can honestly say I’ve never done this – and the photo shows it’s not essential.

I am still getting used to my new oven, I’ll blame that for the fruit sinking yesterday. Possibly it was baking the pound cake a little slower, on a lower temperature, as the fish pie was occupying the top oven shelf.

You can also see above – and yesterday’s version below – how the scattering of Demerara sugar on top before baking, gives a lovely golden brown caramelised crust.

Last night’s incarnation of apple pound cake had a beautifully moist crumb texture, although the apple and pine nuts did sink slightly – but this doesn’t affect the taste. You still get a golden crust on the outside, lightly caramelised top from the Demerara sugar sprinkle, then the buttery crumb and soft apple pockets within the cake.

Variations on Apple Pound Cake

If you are not keen on pine nuts, a variation would be adding raisins or sultanas – which would take it quite close to my Dorset-style Easy Apple Cake, although I’m going to stick my neck out here, this apple pound cake is even easier.

I have also done a similar cake in the past, pear and pine nut cake, in which I used gluten free flour and added a caramel sauce. It’s an adaptable recipe base you can tweak according to what’s in the cupboard – or fruit bowl.

Often when making apple cakes I might add cinnamon or nutmeg. However, as my digestively-challenged dad was also here, I had to omit spices – although I did use vanilla extract.

Apple pound cake is lovely as is it, but when cold you might add a drizzle of icing or molten chocolate topping – similar to my slow cooker banana cake.

I’m pleased to report the flavour and texture of my apple pound cake was perfect; we ate warm thick slices of it in bowls with custard. So this is a cake that doubles up as a hot pudding.

Helpful Notes on Making Apple Pound Cake

The ingredients and steps how to make apple pound cake are all shown below.

As I’ve noted in the print-off panel, you can either whip this up using a hand-held whisk or a Kitchenaid-style stand mixer. My personal preference, for speed, minimising washing up and maximising control without over mixing, is to use a hand-held electric mixer.

A note on baking times: as your oven may differ to mine, check how it’s doing after 25 minutes. The cake is done when a cake tester or skewer comes out cleanly, if the surface scorches before this happens, you can cover the top with some foil.

Serving and Storing Apple Pound Cake

You can either serve this apple pound cake soon after baking, warm with custard (or ice cream), or allow it to cool completely, to serve with a cup of tea as an afternoon snack.

The cooled cake can be stored in a tin at room temperature for 24 hours or several days in the fridge. The flavour and texture will be better if you give a chilled cake some time to come back to room temperature.

Keeping apple pound cake in a tin means you can come back to it for a snack or wrap slices or lunches. It tastes even better the next day when the flavours have settled and the crumb texture firmed slightly, making it easier to slice.

You will easily get 8 slices from the warm cake, possibly 10 when cooled. But let’s not be too stingy here!

I hope I can tempt you to try this apple pound cake, please save this post on Pinterest or similar to return to it later.

I have made a similar version with glacé cherries and almonds – this is definitely a formula you can play with – but I’ll publish that soon.

Have you ever made an apple pound cake? Tell me your experiences or suggestions in the comments below.