Baking soda does not go bad, but baking powder will. It could be that the apples had more water in them than usual. Fresh fruit is sort of a wild card.

Thanks Lars. It's upsetting because I thought this would be a tried and true recipe. One I could count on. I had my husband pick up a cake on his way home!

It would help to see the entire recipe, if you have time to post it. -Grainlady

Apple Cake

3 c flour 2tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda 3 large eggs

1tsp salt 1 1/2 (3-4) Granny Smith apples diced

1c unsalted butter

1/4 c veg oil

2 c sugar

3 tsp cinnamon, divided

Then there is a sugar and cinnamon topping.

Do you need the directions too?

And yes Grainlady, I know this is not a healthy cake!!!

I will bet a lot that somewhere you goofed...( not that I have ever done anything like that)...Something like forgot to add one cup of the flour....and...no of course not I have never done anything like that.

Update: Our guests tonight decided to try the cake and it was good. Just not as good as it usually is. I think that Lars hit it right. I used 4 apples and the maybe the weight was over the 1/ 1/2 lb recommended.

Along with the other suggestions, old flour is often a culprit with baking failures more often than we think. If you don't use your flour very often, and if it's stored where the temperature is 70°F or warmer, that could be a contributing factor, along with the additional apples.

In all the years I judged foods at County and State Fairs, "is it healthy" was never one of the judging categories (LOL). It's science pure and simple, just as figuring out what happened with your recipe is based on the science.

-Grainlady

Not just old flour, but also insidiously damp flour can cause problems. Lindaac solved this mystery for me years ago. Store your flour in something airtight--not the bag, like I was doing--and you are far less likely to end up with baked goods that don't rise to the occasion.

Thanks again, Lindaac!

Darker than usual and didn't cook up as high as normal, you say. I agree with Lindac that the most likely reason was that you used less flour than the recipe calls for. Easy mistake to make.

I think I'd like to make your cake today. You didn't post the instructions, but I think I can figure it out.

How big of a cake does it make? Did you make it in a 9x9 or maybe a 7x11? I don't have any round tins.

Looking at amount of ingredients, Jasdip, it looks like 9 x 13 size would be the best choice. You could prep both 7 x 11 & 9 x 13 size and if the batter looks like too much in the smaller pan, you could scrape it all into the 9 x 13.

I'm not Ellen, but I have several similar recipes and from the measurements, I would go with a 9x13 or a 10" tube pan.

Thanks Ci_Lantro, and Lizbeth.

I ended up making another recipe, and put it in a 9x13". The recipe called for a tube-pan (angel food pan). I'll let you know how it turned out.

Glad I check back! Yes it goes in a tube pan. Also, you drizzle an icing over it.

Jasdip, I'm sure yours came out great.

Everyone liked mine, so it wasn't a fail in the end. I just know how it should have been.

Ellen, I made one and we're having a piece of it now. I'll post it on the dinner thread, so as not to hijack your thread. :-)