Whole wheat PASTRY flour makes a lighter cake, as it has less gluten and so would be more crumbly, less chewy. Also preferred for any quick breads or pie crusts. I prefer King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill brands. You could also try “White Whole Wheat” flour, which is less bitter than standard whole wheat but retains the 100% whole grain goodness. Save the regular whole wheat flour for yeast breads. It’s all about the protein gluten ratio in baked goods.

Also, I assume it’s 350 degree oven…in fahrenheit. What SIZE pan? 8 or 9″ round cake pan? 9″ square brownie pan? 9×14 lasagna pan? Well, I’m trying it tonight so I’ll find out!

I’d also suggest nutmeg and a smidge of cloves for a more spicy cake! I love nutmeg.

Apples are a dicey medium to experiment. Would it be too much if I ask you to try your hand at the carrot cake? That cake somehow gives a better sense of judgement of how to balance the batter mix. Id recommend you try it if you are looking at mastering baking Here is the link and you wont go wrong with it:
http://www.wanderingmist.com/good-food-kitchen/carrot-cake-recipe-an-easy-healthy-and-nutritious-dessert-for-health-conscious-adults-and-kids/

Your point about electronic blenders might have some bearing on my problem, though. It so happens that I did use a blender. I know you didn’t recommend it even in the article but I got tired and impatient beating the egg by hand. Next time, I’ll force myself to do it all by hand. But yeah, I did take care to fold in the flour gently.

This time, I used the large red apples you get in supermarkets. I believe they’re the imported variety. I think using green apples would be really interesting because they have a sour-sweet taste (especially the skin) which should make for a nice contrast in tastes. Finding green apples here would be a problem though…

Thanks for all the great tips and for this recipe! The next time I bake a cake, I’ll try changing the baking powder to flour ratio slightly and I’ll add fewer apple pieces. Maybe I’ll also add some oatmeal for a more crumbly texture. I’ve bookmarked this page. Will drop a comment the next time I try it.

Take care.