Apple Cake(Snack Cake Mix)

This is the laziest possible apple cake, and that is meant as a compliment. The cake mix, egg, and milk all get stirred together directly in the 8-inch baking pan, with no separate bowl to wash. Sliced apples tossed with sugar, lemon, cinnamon, and nutmeg press into the batter rounded-side up, the leftover sugar drizzles over the top, and the whole thing bakes for thirty minutes.

The technique sacrifices nothing for the convenience. Mixing in the pan distributes the wet ingredients evenly, the apple slices steam-cook in their own sugared juices as the cake rises around them, and the exposed apple tops caramelize lightly during baking. Lemon juice in the apple toss does double duty, brightening the flavor and keeping the slices from browning before the cake goes in the oven.

Snack cake mix is the shortcut here. It is more lightly sweetened than full sheet cake or layer cake mixes, which lets the apple flavor and the spices come through clearly. Use whatever snack cake mix you have on hand; yellow, white, or a spice version all work.

Pro Tips

• Press the apple slices firmly into the batter so they do not slide off as it rises.
• Slice the apples thinly and uniformly so they finish cooking by the time the cake is set.
• Use a tart firm apple like Granny Smith or Pink Lady; soft varieties turn to mush.
• Test the cake at 25 minutes with a toothpick; oven variation can mean you need less time than the recipe says.

Variations

• Add a streusel topping (butter, flour, brown sugar) over the apples for a coffee-cake finish.
• Swap apples for pears, plums, or peaches in summer.
• Stir a half cup of chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter for crunch.