Happy September, everyone! And Happy Apple Month!! I’m excited to have apples back in season and back on my table in the form of different recipes. My first apple post this year has a little history behind it so this is the story of two apple cakes which starts with the story of two cookbooks.
In high school, I worked in the food court of a mall. My manager’s husband worked at a bank and so at Christmastime when she bagged up some goodies for the employees, she included his bank’s cookbook called All Aboard, Alabama. I can assure you that I was the only 16-year-old working at that yogurt shop that was actually thrilled to be given a cookbook for a Christmas bonus, ha! I had cooked plenty, and my mom had always allowed me to use all her cookbooks, but this was my first cookbook of my very own.
I wasted no time inscribing my name inside the front cover with turquoise ink and selecting my first recipe to bake: Fresh Apple Cake! Oh, it was glorious! Since then, I have “cooked this book” from cover to cover–it’s like an old friend–but the Fresh Apple Cake (pictured below) is still one of my favorite recipes from my first cookbook.
Fast forward many years later to a day when my girls and I we were visiting my husband’s grandparents. Nonie and Pa were anticipating a possible downsizing and had been regularly cleaning out items around their house. When we arrived that day, Nonie had her dining room table full of giveaway items, handed us a plastic grocery sack, and said, “Get what you want before it goes to Goodwill.”
The girls chose a few small items, and I picked up a cookbook called New Holiday Cookbook. Now, I have to admit that what really drew me to this cookbook, was that it had Nonie’s handwritten notes, and I love notes in a cookbook! So, I brought this cookbook home and started reading it that evening(Anyone else like to read a cookbook?). I couldn’t help but notice the Abe’s Apple Cake recipe with one simple word penned in Nonie’s handwriting: “Good”.
So of course, I had to try it because if it was good enough for Nonie, then that was good enough for me!
Below is a photo of Abe’s Apple cake. Doesn’t that look delicious?
Our sweet Nonie has since passed away but before she did, I made the cake one Sunday when we had all the grandparents for lunch, and I took a picture of Nonie with the cake and the cookbook that was once hers. Aww, we sure miss her!
Ok, so which recipe would I recommend? BOTH! Our family loves them both and for different reasons.
The Abe’s Apple Cake stands tall like old Abe himself! It’s moist and fruity sweet and perfect with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. The Fresh Apple Cake from my old cookbook is one you might want to eat with a spoon and it’s super easy to throw together and bake in a casserole pan. It’s gooey with crusty caramelized corners and a decadent glaze poured on top. A dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon don’t hurt either.
I’ll include both recipes below in a printable form and next week I’ll have a delicious main dish recipe to share!
Abe’s Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 cup oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups diced apples
- 1 cup chopped nits, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the sugar, soda, flour, spices, and salt together in a bowl. Add eggs, oil, and vanilla; mix well. Add the apples and nuts. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately place in a heavy brown paper bag. Close tightly and let stand until cool.
Fresh Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 4 cups apples, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans, optional
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the apples and 2 cups sugar. Add the flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir well. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir the egg mixture into the apple mixture, blending until thoroughly moistened. Stir in the pecans, if using. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 inch pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
- For the glaze: In a saucepan, combine the 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Bring to a boil over med-high heat and cook for 3 minutes. Pout over the apple cake, spread it all over and let it soak in!
Who else is excited about apple season?🍎🍏🍎
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Thank you for sharing both of these recipes. I am excited about fall recipes!
Me too, Cindy!! I remember a very delicious chili you made for us at your house that day after the cattle tagging! 🐄🐄🐄
We are going to an apple orchard this coming weekend actually. So your recipes are perfectly timed. I am looking forward to trying the apple cakes.
Ahhh, I love that! I’ve always wanted to go pick apples in an orchard! It just seems like the perfect fall activity. Unfortunately, the only apple farms I’ve been to around here ho ahead and pick the apples and sell them in bags. They still tastes delicious but we don’t get the whole experience. 🍂🍏
For probably 50 plus years, I have been making “Aunt Nellie’s Fresh Apple Cake.” Basically, it’s the same combination as the two above mentioned recipes. I first ate this cake at your Great Aunt Nellie’s house in VA and since it was so delicious , she shared the recipe evoking warm and loving memories of many cherished visits with family in VA!
Even as a retired elementary teacher, I must have something “apple” to celebrate Johnny Appleseed’s birthday on Sept. 26th!! I remain tempted (in mind at least) to slice various varieties of apples and let the students sample and graph their favorites!!
I didn’t know about Aunt Nellie’s apple cake but any recipe of hers has got to be a winner! I was recently telling Joel and the kids what an amazing cook she was. Johnny Appleseed Day was always a favorite in our earlier homeschooling days when the kids were younger! 🍎