I have a confession to make: Sometimes I get so caught up with life that I don’t have time to create new recipes! When this happens, one of my favorite things to do is search online for recipes that inspire me.

Recently, I took a recipe break and stumbled upon an apple cake that caught my attention. I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand.  My husband and I have our own apple trees in our backyard and I’ve been looking for ways to use up all of these gorgeous Fuji apples. It was Rosh Hashanah dinner and I was having company over. Since I’m not a huge baker — I would much rather make a beautiful salad or grill a juicy steak — I defer to the vast world of baking blogs!

This apple cake from A Family Feast was super simple to make and it really was one of THE BEST apple cakes I’ve tasted. It was perfectly moist and sweet without being too sweet. The spices were just right and the walnuts added a satisfying crunch. Let’s not forget the luxurious buttery glaze drizzled on top!

When you’re all out of ideas in the kitchen and you turn to the genius world of food blogs for inspiration, here are four tips for choosing the right recipe.

The Best Recipe Searching Tips


1)    
Use a food site that you trust.

This goes without saying, save a couple of recipe sites that you trust. Sometimes measurements can be off, and certain blogs don’t test the recipes enough before posting. It’s important that you can trust a dessert recipe if you’re making it for a dinner party and don’t have time to mess up.

2)    Check the ingredients before you commit to the recipe.

Before you dive into a recipe, make sure you have all of the ingredients to make it. You don’t want to get halfway through a recipe and realize you need to run out to the grocery store!

3)   Let the photo do the talking.

Use your judgment and make sure the photo looks original. If a photo is very generic looking, there’s a chance it’s not their photo and that might discredit the quality of the recipe. It’s safe to say that the best baking blogs take the time to post their own original food photography.

4)   Check the comment section.

Scroll to the bottom of the recipe page and check the comment section for positive or negative reviews. I know this might seem obvious, but there are also helpful hints in the comments section. You could learn a couple of clever tricks from people who have already tried the recipe.

I hope these tips help you the next time you’re looking for recipe inspiration. I can promise you’ll love this incredible apple cake recipe. My guests were all in awe over it! It’s definitely going to be a favorite of mine to make for the holidays this year. By the way, I went rogue and dusted powder sugar on top. This made the cake even prettier!

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

XO,

Pamela