Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

Bakin' Bill Johnson prepared cinnamon apple coffee cake last year at one of his monthly Dutch oven cooking demonstrations at Macy's market in Utah. The recipe comes from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking. The magazine attributes the recipe to Gertrude H., Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

I baked the coffee cake Saturday afternoon under a light rain that was moving eastward into the mountains. To shelter the both ovens (I also baked a ham) from the moisture, I balanced my steel camp table between the Dutch oven table and Weber kettle grill.


I used an improvised shelter to keep the charcoal dry.

Everything worked great. Light rain and temperatures around 50 caused a cold spot in the Dutch oven. About one-third of the bottom half of the cake was raw. The portion of the cake that baked on the warm side was done.

CINNAMON APPLE COFFEE CAKE

The batter will be very stiff if mixing by hand. Sprinkle lemon juice over apples to prevent discoloration.


Cinnamon apple coffee caked baked inside a 12-inch Lodge Dutch oven. There's a layer of baked, shredded Granny Smith apples between the cake layers.

1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (5.1-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 medium tart apples, peeled and shredded
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream and butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour half into a greased 12-inch Dutch oven. Top with apples. Combine the sugar, nuts and cinnamon; sprinkle half over the apples. Top with remaining batter and sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees, using 8 coals under and 16 on lid, for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 to 18 servings.