Applelicious PEI Apple-Pear Cake

September 2012

PEI Fall Flavours.  It is simply gorgeous in PEI these days ... warm sun, gentle evenings, signing of muted colours beginning to show in the trees.  The promise of fall to come.  

With fall come the 'fruits' of nature's bounty, including crisp delicious apples.  Applelicious indeed.  I couldn't resist.  I found myself buying a basket of apples and a smaller amount of pears and pulling together one of the best tasting, moist apple-pear cakes I have ever eaten. 




The recipe, adapted from A Taste of Home  includes the frosting, which I made for one batch (yeah!! delicious) but skipped for the second cake, preferring instead to garnish it with a mixture of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.  I took the cake and berries to a marathon management retreat and ... wait for it, it helped us make it through the night.  

So here you go.  Enjoy.   

Apple-Pear Cake 

(Frosting Optional)

Ingredients

2 cups shredded peeled tart apple
2 cups shredded peeled pears (I used bosc pears)
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used Red Fife)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Frosting: (optional) 

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 T milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Combine dry ingredients; stir into the fruit mixture.

Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting (optional), in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' and butter until smooth. Beat in the milk and vanilla; frost cake. Store in the refrigerator.

If not using frosting, garnish with a selection of berries such as raspberry, blackberry, and blueberries.