GRANNY SMITH APPLE COFFEE CAKE

I finally got around to completing the fall decor in the kitchen! Moving can be a good thing by helping you clean out years of collected belongings! When we made our move from Texas to Maine, we gave away many, many years of "stuff!" That was a "good thing!" We spent three years in Maine and never unpacked completely as we knew we were coming home to Texas at some point in time. We used that time, to continue to clean out our closets and bins of saved holiday decor. We felt so much better about narrowing down our storage bins! I reduced my autumn and Halloween decor to just THREE bins. You will notice, I move things around quite a bit and reuse candles and florals all the time. Every fall, I use this hammered bronze container from my old Southern Living Hostess days. It is one of the most versatile home decor pieces I own. It lends itself beautifully to an autumn centerpiece! Voila! It's done!!!

This recipe is a keeper lovebugs! The granny smith apples make this coffee cake so moist and there could be nothing more perfect for autumn days! I intended to take a picture when it was just out of the oven, however, I have just discovered that "someone" has been sneaking some pieces here and there...."like half the cake is gone already!" Guess it must be pretty darn good!

GRANNY SMITH APPLE COFFEE CAKE
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in tiny pieces
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend walnuts, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until clumps begin to form. (Can be made 1 day ahead) Cover and chill.
Mix apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a tube pan or bundt pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and milk to blend. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and both sugars until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Beat in dry ingredients alternately with sour cream mixture in 3 additions each, mixing just until smooth.
Spread half of batter in prepared pan. Spoon apple filling on top of batter. Spread remaining batter over filling. Sprinkle with topping.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean (30-45 minutes). If the top starts browning too quickly, cover with foil. Cool before inverting on to a serving platter or cake stand.