Friday, January 24, 2020

Fresh Apple Cake

When I was young (and through college) I was reluctant to try new or unusual foods. I'll blame my mother: she didn't even try making her own spaghetti sauce until after I'd left home, and her idea of a casserole was to add a can of Campbell's cream soup to just about anything. She was a good plain cook, but not particularly daring. (But she did enjoy eating in fine restaurants, a trait that I inherited from her.)

Cooking can be an art, and it can also be a way to feed people and make them happy. It's that simple. We at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen have presented an incredible  range of recipes for you to try, but we aren't offended if you don't try them all. That's how we learn about food and what we like to eat.

Why is this apple cake recipe such a favorite of mine? Because it's easy to make, hard to mess up, travels and keeps well, and just plain tastes good. It's from an early James Beard cookbook, but even he admitted in the book that he'd borrowed it from someone else.





FRESH APPLE CAKE

1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups shredded apples (do not peel -- the skin adds texture to the cake; the shredding disk of a food processor works very well)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:

2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl brown sugar
2 Tbl granulated sugar
2 Tbl heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9- or 10-inch tube pan (8-cup capacity).

Combine oil and sugar in a bowl. Blend very well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Sift these into the oil-egg mixture and combine thoroughly. Add the raw apples. Mix well with a spoon or spatula, then add the vanilla. Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until the cake tests done (tester comes out clean). Remove from the oven and let rest while you prepare the glaze.

Glaze: Melt the butter, sugars, and heavy cream mixed with vanilla in a heavy pan. Boil for 1 minute without stirring, then remove from heat.

Let the cake cool for a few minutes before removing it from the pan. Spoon the glaze over the cake while it is still warm.

A word of warning about the glaze: it’s addictive. We usually double the recipe, and fight over who gets to lick the pan. My daughter pours it over ice cream, and she adds chopped nuts and coconut. And sometimes we just skip the cake and eat it with spoons right out of the pan. Yum.

 


And a giveaway! Fatal Roots is the most recent book in the County Cork Mystery series.

I'll happily give all the credit to Ireland, which so many people fall in love with. Just leave a comment (with your email address).

38 comments:

  1. Love that series! And that apple cake looks good. Now, how to shred apples without a food processor?
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

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    1. I have a really good cheese grater from Cuisinart
      I was almost $20 but works great! I think a grater would work.

      Delete
  2. The apple cake sounds scrumptious!
    Bleakney750@yahoo.com

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  3. We have missed you on Facebook. I’m so happy you are well. I like this series a lot. suefoster109 at gmail dot com.

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  4. Oh but this recipe looks delicious. Thanks for sharing with us.
    quilting lady 2 at comcast dot net

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  5. Yum! I'll take all the apple recipes I can get. We ended up with tons of apples this fall and the freezer is packed. We're taking the opportunity to try all different recipes each time so this is perfect.
    Love this series. I've got some catching up to do, but I'm working my way through fairly quickly.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  6. I love apple cake and make it for celebrations. Your apple cake looks delectable and very yummy. Thanks for this great recipe and giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. Since we have apples galore I will be making this wonderful apple cake. My favorite cake is a Jewish apple Cake and this one is perfect. I have been looking for an easy one for years. Thanks. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  8. The cake & glaze sound yummy. I like the idea of adding the glaze to ice cream.
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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  9. What a good sounding cake! Thank you for the recipe.
    debprice60(at)gmail(dot)com

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  10. Apple cake is a great idea.
    I have already read your latest book.
    It served as a delightful visit to Ireland!

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  11. Love this series and wanting to read the book! Need another trip back to Ireland. On my list.
    The cake sounds yummy 😋
    a.connolley@gmail.com

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  12. Thank you for this great recipe and for a chance to win this book!
    Blessings!
    Connie
    cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com

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  13. Thank you for the recipe for Fresh Apple Cake. Everyone in my family loves apple anything. It's the one fruit you don't have to wait until "season" to have and it still taste like it's suppose to. Always game to try another version of our standby cake. My family is like yours too I believe in liking LOTS of icing - on the cake or by the spoon.

    Thank you for the fabulous opportunity to win a copy of "Fatal Roots" which is on my TBR list with my great desire to read it soon! Shared and hoping.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  14. Great series! Would really like to read "Fatal Roots". The apple cake looks amazing, I've always made apple pies, but never an apple pie.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. This cake sounds yummy!! Can't wait to try it. Thanks for the chance to win. I love this series!! ljbonkoski@yahoo.com

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  16. This sounds delicious. I really need to learn how to bake. Thank you for the chance.
    lilyanngill56(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. This sounds wonderful. Thanks for the chance too!

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  18. Since I don't have a food processor, I probably won't make this. Still would love to read your new book.

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  19. That sounds very good! Thanks for the chance to win!

    ElaineE246 at msn dot com

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  20. Apples is one thing I buy a lot of so thank you for the recipe. Please enter me.
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

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  21. I love apple cake but I add raisins and crushed nuts to it. Books focused around Ireland/England/Scotland hold my fascination. It is on my bucket list to visit there. Thanks for the opportunity to enter your giveaway. Robin robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  22. Love apple cake - thanks for the recipe!

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  23. Love the apple cake recipe. Thanks for the recipe and giveaway. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)om

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  24. My mom used to make this cake. It was one of my favorites. Thanks for the chance at the giveaway. cindystamps@juno.com

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  25. That cake looks so delicious. The book is one I want to read. The series is amazing.
    Thank you for the chance

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  26. Thanks for the recipe!
    mjhopper101(at)gmail(dot)com

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  27. Sounds like a recipe that hubby and i can do and yum! Love the cover on the print book giveaway so would love to read and review. peggy clayton ptclayton2@aol.com

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  28. Yummy food and a good book to win! Awesome! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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  29. I enjoy trying different fresh apple cake recipes---they are usually pretty good cake that even I can't mess up.
    farrell@crosslake.net

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  30. Thanks for the recipe, the new release sounds great! tWarner419@aol.com

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  31. This recipe sounds great and so does the book!
    legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com

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  32. Thank you for a wonderful recipe and opportunity to receive one of your mysteries! I'll use the new Cosmic Crisp Apples as we are out here on the coast in Washington State.
    itsmecindymarie (at) gmail (dot) com

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  33. OH my goodness! That cake looks divine. So does your latest book.
    milomom@yahoo.com

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  34. I love this series and that cake looks delicious!

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  35. Oh my gosh...that glaze sounds delicious! I can see why you make a double batch, I will too. The whole cake is making me drool. TMI, sorry. Looking forward to reading Fatal Roots, thank you for sharing. konecny7(at)gmail(dot)com

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  36. Your such a good author. Any book by you will be great.

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