Recipe of the Month: Apple Walnut Cake

This month we’re excited to offer the first recipe from our new Pro Team member Sheila Kealey. Now time to go dice up some apples! Thanks Sheila!

Apple Walnut Cake

This flavourful cake is all about apples. . . and you’ll be hard pressed to find a more delicious cake with such healthful ingredients.  Boasting the nutrients of 3 cups of apples, the healthy Omega-3 fats of walnuts, whole wheat flour, and just enough sugar for optimal sweetness, you can enjoy this nutritious treat as a pre or post workout snack.  This recipe produces an 8 x 8 cake and it doesn’t rise a lot (after all, it is mostly apples!), but you can make a more substantial and impressive cake if you double the recipe and bake in a bundt cake tin.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups apples, diced
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (if available, regular whole wheat flour is fine)
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3 tbsp. trans-free margarine or butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

  1. Cut apples into small chunks, leaving the skins on. Chop walnuts. Set aside.
  2. Mix the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.
  3. In a separate large bowl, cream sugar and margarine. Mix in the egg and vanilla, then add the flour mixture.
  4. Add the apples and walnuts (dough will be stiff – use your hands if you must!).
  5. Spread mixture in a greased 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch pan (or a 9-inch pie plate) and bake at 350 for about  30-40 minutes (timing varies depending on the pan used; the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean).

Makes EIGHT Servings

Nutrition Per Serving:

  • 200 calories
  • 3 g protein
  • 32 g carbohydrate
  • 8 g fat (1.5 g sat)
  • 25 mg cholesterol
  • 2 g fiber
  • 210 mg sodium
  • 100 mg potassium
  • 15 mg calcium
  • 15 mg magnesium

Tips and Variations:

  • Toast the walnuts first for maximum flavor
  • Add orange zest to the batter
  • You’ll find tips for selecting, preparing, and storing apples here.

This recipe is from the cookbook and food guide Food For Thought: Healing Foods to Savor. 

 

Sheila Kealey is a health promotion consultant, writer, and athlete passionate about encouraging lifestyle habits that promote good health.  She has a Masters’ degree in Public Health and has collaborated on many research articles related to diet and health. Sheila cross country ski races with XC Ottawa, and also competes in triathlons and running races (5k’s are her favourite, but she has gone the distance once, running a 2:57 marathon).  Sheila loves developing healthy recipes, and coauthored the cookbook and nutrition guide Food For Thought: Healing Foods to Savor.  Sheila shares advice on nutrition, physical activity, sports science, and tasty nourishing foods on twitter and her website.