Italian Apple cake

Well Labor Day weekend has passed, which means it's officially fall!  Time for football, pumpkins, sweaters, and of course...apples!  Ok well maybe not everyone thinks of apple cider, apple sauce (with pork chops of course), apple fritters, apple crumble and apple pie when they think of fall...but hey not everyone writes a food blog either.  So, in honor of the season, I have been working on a cake that everyone will be happy to come home to on a chilly evening.  And, most will be even happier knowing that this cake is made without butter, using instead heart healthy olive oil (very Italian I know).  This recipe is inspired by a cookbook that my aunt picked up in northern Italy.  The recipes are handwritten entirely in Italian, using local ingredients...which means after a great deal of translation and testing, I managed to hit upon a cake reminicent of those from the local pasticceria.  This cake has that perfect density and sweetness one finds so often in both French and Italian cakes.  The recipe is a snap to make and the cake looks oh so Martha Stewart once out of the pan - thus ensuring that all your guests will be adequately impressed by your culinary skills.  Buon Appetito!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup cane sugar
1 cup milk (I used lowfat but whole could be substituted here for a richer cake)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3-5 apples (depending on size)
1/2 cup good quality honey

Preheat oven to °350F.  Generously butter, ok so there is some butter but you could also use olive oil here, a 8 inch cake pan (non-stick is preferable).

Peel apples and cut into fairly thin slices, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide.  Zest lemon and set aside.  Use the juice of the same lemon to coat the apple slices.  Line the bottom of the pan with the apple slices, starting from the middle of the pan and spiraling outward.  Do not worry if your spiral is not perfect here - the slices will shift somewhat when you pour in the cake batter.  Finally, drizzle the honey evenly over the apple slices.

Combine the eggs, sugar, milk, oil, vanilla extract (you can also substitute almound extract if you prefer), and lemon zest.  Sift together flour and baking powder and add to the liquid mixture, stirring until batter is smooth.  Pour the batter evenly over the apple slices, taking care not to completely wreck the beautiful spiral that you spent so much time on (like I did the first time).

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  The cake may bubble slightly but will fall once out of the oven.  Remove cake from oven and allow to cool.  Once cooled place cake plate upside down on top of the pan (centering in the middle of the plate).  Flip the whole thing over and remove the cake pan.  Allow to cool completely before serving alongside a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.  This cake gets even better as it sits so feel free to make the day before your fiesta!