Apple Cranberry & Walnut Cake

apple cake and cran sauce 002

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup apple sauce
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups peeled, cored, apples cut into chunks ( I used Granny Smith)
1 cup chopped walnuts chopped
1 cup dried cranberries chopped
Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch tube pan. Sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.

2. Beat the oil, butter, apple sauce and sugar together in a mixer for 5 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until the mixture is creamy. Stir in the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla, apples, walnuts, and cranberries and stir until combined. ( best done by hand so not to break up the apple)

3. Turn the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before turning out.

4. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.