Dessert: Apple, Walnut, and Honey Spice Cake with Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Marie Simmons A spice cake to beat all others! Apples, walnuts, and honey up the ante of this cream cheese-frosted confection.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Honey, Apples, Nuts, Walnuts

Health and fertility benefits of Apple, Walnut, and Honey Spice Cake with Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). One tbsp of honey has a glycemic index (GI) of 55. Apples will improve your body's sensitivity to insulin (Reference: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full) Nuts are a natural source of Inositol, a derivative of Vitamin B (which is often prescribed in the form of supplements for women with PCOS). Inositol can effectively control the symptoms of PCOS by reducing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity. Walnuts are low on the glycemic index. What’s more, they also lower the glycemic index of other foods that you eat in conjunction with these nuts. Any kind of nuts provide a healthy source of fat and a great way to encourage PCOS weight loss.

Ingredients

3 large eggs
3/4 c. light brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. orange blossom, lavender, or other honey
3/4 c. vegetable oil
2 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. diced, peeled, and cored crisp apples (Fuji, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious)
1 c. broken walnuts
1 c. diced dried apricots or golden raisins
Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch cake pan with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla for 5 minutes, or until light. Slowly beat in honey and oil until well blended.
In a separate bowl, stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add flour mixture, apples, walnuts, and apricots to egg mixture; fold together until blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35 minutes, or until top is set; cool in pan. Spread with Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting; sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Cut into squares.

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