Easy Apple Cake

Instructions

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper round and lightly coat bottom and sides of pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray or room-temperature unsalted butter. Toast 1⁄2 cup raw walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Set aside. Whisk 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar and 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 large eggs and whisk vigorously until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 1⁄2 cup sour cream and 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and whisk to combine. Add 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1⁄2 tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract and whisk again until incorporated. Add 21⁄4 cups (281 g) all-purpose flour and, using a large rubber spatula, fold in until no large dry streaks remain. Add 3 Honeycrisp or Fuji apples (about 11⁄2 lb.), peeled, cored, cut into 1⁄2" pieces, and gently mix until each piece is coated in batter. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth surface with an offset spatula or a spoon. Mix 1⁄2 cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, remaining 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, remaining 1⁄2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1⁄4 tsp. Morton kosher salt, and reserved walnuts in a small bowl to combine. Sprinkle mixture evenly over cake. Bake cake until top springs back when lightly pressed in the center or a tester inserted into the center comes out with only few moist crumbs attached, 45-55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan before slicing.

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray or unsalted butter Notes: for pan, room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup raw walnuts
• granulated sugar Notes: 1 cup, 200 g
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter Notes: 1 stick, room temperature
• large eggs Notes: 2
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream
• Tbsp. apple cider vinegar Notes: 2
• tsp. ground cinnamon Notes: 2, divided
• 11⁄2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 3⁄4 tsp. Morton kosher salt Notes: divided
• tsp. baking powder Notes: 1
• tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract Notes: 1
• 21⁄4 cups all-purpose flour Notes: 281 g
• large Honeycrisp or Fuji apples Notes: 3, about 11⁄2 lb., peeled, cored, cut into 1⁄2" pieces
• 1⁄2 cup dark brown sugar Notes: 100 g
• Special Equipment: a 9"-diameter springform pan