


Apples are the kind of fruit we eat all year round. They are always in the fridge and if they don’t get eaten, I feel guilty that they’re just sitting there and going to go bad. I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and decided to make it. I would make it and freeze it, so if you’re interested in doing so this cake freezes well. You’ll need a tube pan. You don’t need an electric mixer, so it’s pretty easy on the special equipment. Use those leftover apples–don’t let them go bad. No butter in this recipe, lots of sugar though. My house smelled divine.
I also love this recipe for the Jewish Holidays which are just around the corner…..just saying.
*you can see in photos that I use a melon baller to get the pits out of the middle of the apple. I prefer this technique over the corer thing which never really works for me. The melon baller works perfectly: first cut apple in half, then scoop out just the pits.
Thanks to Smitten Kitchen again for a wonderful recipe.
www.smittenkitchen
Ingredients:
6 apples (I used what I had in the house: a combo of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp. Good old Macintosh will work, too.)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar
2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice (try to use fresh but if not, Tropicana will do)
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (this is optional; I didn’t use them this time out)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core, and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside (I sprayed with a baking spray. There’s no need to add any butter here.)
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. This mixture will be rather thick. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all ingredients are incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to get it all out of the bowl.
Pour 1/2 the batter into prepared tube pan. Spread 1/2 the apples over this. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Use your eye to halve batter and apples (don’t worry if it’s not perfectly halved.) Bake for about 90 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean. I would check cake after 1 hour 20 minutes. I baked for the full 90 minutes; it’s a rather thick cake.




















This is a delicious easy to make Chocolate Fudgy Brownie. Perfect for Valentines Day , as it is such a Chocolatey Holiday. I have always had a rather large sweet tooth and Valentines Day always meant candy, chocolate, dessert of one kind or another and it was always up there with my other favorite , Halloween for pretty much the same reasons. How can you not like a holiday that has so much sweetness? Make this brownie anytime and top with ice cream and chocolate sauce for an incredibly killer dessert. I personally cut them up into small pieces and don’t feel as guilty when I eat them. I came in today from being out all day and saw them on the cake stand and because I had cut them up so small, I indulged in two pieces and it just hit the spot!!! Make no mistake these are the real deal, and I never really understand why anyone would use a mix when this is so easy and all the ingredients are so readily available. And you have bragging rights for Homemade. Just make sure you use an 8 x 8 baking dish, this really does make a difference. Enjoy and Happy V-Day!!!!

