We arrived to my family’s beach house on Bainbridge Island last week on a rainy, stormy Friday. From inside, we could see the apple trees behind the house were laden with fruit. So while the rain came down, we sat inside and schemed up things we could bake with all those apples. We decided on apple cake, so I naturally turned to Smitten Kitchen for a recipe knowing Deb would have a good one.
As soon as the rain stopped, we ventured outside with our baskets to pick apples. We spent the next couple hours on a cake-baking mission with the kids doing most of the work themselves. They picked and washed apples, peeled and chopped, mixed the batter and then we popped the cake in the oven. Soon, the house smelled so delicious — with the aroma of cinnamon and apples — and we waited eagerly to enjoy cake on a rainy afternoon. The cake was as delicious as it smelled – so moist with chunks of apples within the cake. The recipe makes such a generous portion, we were able to enjoy apple cake for the entire weekend (it only got better with each passing day).
I shared this post on Babyccino earlier this week (with a link to the recipe if you’re interested).
Looks delicious and love the photos! Really enjoy each post here; thanks for taking the time to write! xx
Looks so good!
I’m actually from the PNW(Portland) but have never been up to the San Juan and surrounding islands. If you ever post tips for staying here (which island is best, what beaches you love etc) I would love to read about it!
perfect timing! my kids are bringing in apples by the basket load at the moment!
So, I made this cake with my 3-year-old son, and used buckwheat flour instead of all-purpose. It’s certainly an, uh, interesting texture, and not too bad! (All it needs is some dried fruit and to be soaked in rum, and it’ll taste just like fruitcake!) Thanks for the inspiration!
Your photos are just beautiful!
Hey Courtney, what camera do you use? and do you edit your photos afterwards for the blog? I’ve been following you for a few years, your photography work has really grown 🙂
Hi Ella,
Thanks for the nice comment about my photography. It’s really nice to hear, especially as I can be so critical of myself when it comes to photos.
I use a Nikon D7100. During our travels this year, two of my lenses were broken, so I wasn’t able to get the photos I wanted using my fixed 35mm lens.
I did take a course last year, however, to learn how to use my camera in manual mode instead of automatic, which has helped so much especially when shooting in low-light conditions and to achieve more depth of field in my photos. I haven’t gone back to using auto-mode since I learned the basics of manual!
Oh, and yes – sometimes I add a bit of exposure to photos if they’re too dark, but unfortunately I don’t really know how to edit beyond that. Another class I need to take! 🙂
xx
Thank you so much for taking the time to get back to me, keep up the great work 🙂 and carpe diem! xxx
These are such lovely photos. I have been following you on tumblr but this is the first time I stopped by the blog. As I was scrolling through I was so suprised to see Bainbridge Island because I grew up just 30 minutes from there in Silverdale. 🙂 All that is to say, keep up the lovely posts. They really brighten mine and many others’ days.
Oh what a lovely comment. Thank you! How fun that you grew up in Silverdale. It’s such a beautiful part of the world! Bainbridge is a very special spot for me having spent my summers there as a child.
xx