Apple Cake With Honey Sauce

Ingredients:

For the cake
• 5 to 6 firm apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices I used Granny Smith
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting the pan
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the honey sauce
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup apple juice or cider

Directions:

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the cinnamon and 1/4 cup of the sugar, then add the apples and toss to combine. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the remaining sugar, flour, baking powder, oil, eggs, orange juice, salt and vanilla extract. Beat just until the batter is smooth. Pour an inch of the batter into the prepared pan and top it with a layer of apple slices, taking care not to let the apples touch the side of the pan; then add alternating layers of apple slices and batter, ending with the batter. You should have 4 layers of batter and 3 of apples.

Bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes on a wire rack, then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool thoroughly.

For the honey sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the honey and apple juice or cider and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, continue boiling until the mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. For a thicker sauce, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, a few minutes more, until it reaches the desired consistency.

Serve the cake with the warm honey sauce on the side or with whipped cream