My friend Judy Weintraub creator of the Bumbleberry Breeze WordPress food blog and I created this recipe as a healthier dessert for the upcoming holidays. It combines our two favorite late harvest/winter foods—pumpkins and apples. After scouring dozens of recipes, we’ve managed to create a new cake recipe that almost halves the fat and sugar without sacrificing the taste one bit! It’s now our new, favorite low fat and low sugar holiday dessert cake that we’ve been passing along to all our friends. Happy holidays, Bon Appétit—and if you like our new recipe, pass it along!
Ingredients
1 ½ cups unbleached cake flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ ginger
¼ tsp. cloves
½ cup canola oil
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ 15 ounce can or 1 cup canned pumpkin (preferably organic and make sure it’s not pumpkin pie mix)
3 medium sized apples, such as pink ladies or fuji
2 tsp. pure vanilla
2 T. packed light brown sugar
1T. butter
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray 9-inch spring form pan with light cooking oil spray. Cut and place parchment paper on bottom of pan. Wrap aluminum foil to entirely cover bottom outside of pan. Melt 1 T. of butter in small glass bowl, and then spread evenly on bottom of pan. Combine ¼ tsp. cinnamon and brown sugar in bowl and spread evenly over butter on bottom of spring foam pan.
2. Sift together all flour, baking soda, and remaining spices in medium sized mixing bowl.
3. Combine vanilla, canola oil, sugar and eggs (adding one at a time). Beat for three minutes or until fluffy. Next, add pumpkin.
4. Gently fold in sifted dry ingredients.
5. Coarsely grate one apple and then fold into mixture.
6. Peel and thinly slice remaining two apples length-wise. Layer slices beginning in center outward in slightly over lapping circular pattern. 
Pour batter over layered apples. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out dry. Remove aluminum foil immediately. Allow cake to cool for 30 minutes on rack before unmolding.
Serves: 8 to 10.
