Lonely Apples (Sunday Lessons)

Lesson #1:  Never let the husband go to the grocery story without explicit instructions.
Lesson #2:  You can find just about anything on the internet.
Lesson #3:  What you can't find on the internet, is probably in a foodie magazine.
Lesson #4:  When all else fails, check your mom's recipe box.

 

Well, you're probably wondering why were having 'lessons' on a Sunday.  It's like this...When the husband goes to the grocery store unattended and without instructions, sometimes he'll come home with some strange things.  A couple of weeks ago my husband decided to make a quick trip to our local grocery store.  He thought that the 'good deal' on apples in a giant bag was going to be awesome.  You know, there's a reason why I shy away from those giant bags.  They're almost always smallish, blemished, not that tasty, mushy, and generally not worth the money apples.

 

So, on this fine day, he came home with his bag of apples and proudly started in on one of them.  His proud moment didn't last too long.  They've been sitting in a bowl on our kitchen counter ever since.  Neither of us likes them.  I've been on the hunt for a few good recipes that use lots of apples ever since.

 

This morning I noticed that a few of those lonely apples were starting to get a tad wrinkly.  Kind of reminded me of my grandma when she was 80 years old: Sweet, a little soft in the middle, and wrinkly all over.  It was time to get serious about this apple business.  So, the search began in earnest.  The result is a combination of ideas from the internet recipes I found, the recipes that were waiting patiently in my cookbooks and foodie magazines, and the tried-n-true favorites from my mom's recipe box (which includes recipes from her mom, too!).

So, there you have it four lessons learned on a Sunday morning.  And a few of my apples gone (the rest are still waiting - and wrinkling) into this:

 

 

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

INGREDIENTS

For the cake – Apple mixture:

6	McIntosh apples, peeled and chopped (I used Fuji)
3	T cinnamon
5	T sugar
1	cup pecans, chopped

For the cake – Cake mixture:

3	cups flour
3	t baking power
½	t salt
2	cups sugar
1	cup applesauce
4	eggs, beaten
3	t vanilla extract

For the caramel sauce:

1	stick unsalted butter
1	cup brown sugar
½	cup evaporated milk
pinch	kosher salt
1	T cinnamon
½	cup butterscotch morsels (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

2. For the apple mixture: Use a medium bowl to combine the chopped apples, cinnamon, sugar, and pecans.  Set aside.

3. For the cake mixture: In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together.  Add to this the sugar, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix to make a thick batter.

4. Prepare tube pan by spraying non-stick vegetable oil into it.  Pour on-third of the batter into the cake pan, and set aside.

5. Spread one-third of the apples and sauce over the batter evenly.  Continue alternating the batter and apples until you are finished.  The last layer should be the last of the apple mixture.

6. Place pan in the oven and bake for about 80-90 minutes or until the apples on top are tender and the cake is sufficiently browned.

7. For the caramel sauce: Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and slowly bring to a boil.  Stir for about two minutes.  Then remove the pan from the heat and allow the topping to cool.

8. Remove the cake from the tube pan and drizzle the topping over it, making sure it drips down the sides.