Cranberry-Apple Whole Wheat Olive Oil Cake

Searching for a dessert for a friend who is working hard on his increasing health, I first made a few versions of an Almond Cake by Molly Wizenberg, adapted by Mark Bittman and Sam Sifton. Lovely and luscious in every way, for me it needed to include more whole grains, less sugar, and perhaps some fruit. After a few tries, I came up with a whole wheat apple version, which has since morphed into this cranberry and spice cake while retaining the apples. My friend adored it. Success! A little whipped cream on the side or a few cranberries are nice for garnishes but the cake is just fine as is with big cup of coffee. Read through recipe before beginning.

Equipment

9-inch springform pan

Ingredients

6 ounces (170 grams) almonds, toasted, cooled and ground (close to 2 cups sliced almonds/ about 1 1/3 cups whole almonds) See notes.
1 medium organic lemon, zested and juiced
1 cup (113 grams) whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoons EACH: ground cinnamon and ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (can use ground cardamom instead, if you like)
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (158 milliliters) olive oil
1 medium tart apple, cored and cut into small dice
1/2 cup (50 grams) coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
Powdered sugar for sprinkling after baking

Instructions

PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 350 F. Set rack at center. Grease a 9” springform pan. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
SET ASIDE the ground toasted almonds and the lemon zest and juice.
STIR TOGETHER the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.
BEAT TOGETHER the eggs with the salt in a large bowl. Beat in the sugar. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Add the reserved lemon zest, lemon juice, toasted ground almonds, and olive oil and beat until incorporated. Stir in the diced apples.
SPRINKLE THE CRANBERRIES EVENLY into the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the batter over the cranberries and place the pan on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out just clean. The cake should be a deep golden brown. (My cake was done at 45 minutes at altitude in a gas oven that runs a bit hot.)
RUN A THIN, SMALL KNIFE around the edges of the pan. Let cool 10 minutes. Unmold and dust with powdered sugar. Cool and serve as is or with cranberries at the center or whipped cream or ice cream on the side if you like. Cover tightly and store 2-3 days at room temperature or double wrap and freeze for no more than 2 weeks.

Notes

Cook’s Notes: I toasted my almonds in a skillet over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Instead of dusting the cake with powdered sugar, you might choose to brush it with couple of tablespoons of warmed apricot jam. The weights used in my ingredient deck are from King Arthur.