The Apple Lady

Last weekend, in an attempt to use up the million apples she had on hand from apple picking, my mom asked me to come up with a new recipe using the fruit.  (I also think she just wanted to keep me busy, so thanks Mom.)  She said she didn’t really want an apple crisp, but more of an apple cake, so I did a little bit of Googling, and then pretty much just went for it.  I didn’t have much of an appetite for it last weekend, but my mom and her boyfriend seemed to really love it.

I started with a boxed vanilla cake mix, prepared according to the box’s directions, except for substituting an equal amount of applesauce for the oil. Subbing out the applesauce for oil not only gives it a hint of extra sweetness (perfect for an apple cake) but also makes the cake a bit healthier.

To the batter, I also added a heaping tablespoon (or two, I forget) of cinnamon and one of nutmeg.

Next came the apple peeling. This was probably the least fun part of the whole recipe, but hey, that’s what it takes!

I used four large apples, peeled and sliced very thin.

After I sprayed the Bundt pan, I layered the batter and apples three times, spreading a thin layer of apples in between each layer of batter.

On the top, I put a few more apples and a sprinkling of brown sugar to give it a little something extra.

Popped it in the oven according to the box’s directions (plus a little longer to account for the apples) and voila!  We had a delicious apple cake.

This thing would be awesome with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.  (Too bad we didn’t have any and were both too lazy to go to the store to get some… )

After the cake was done, she asked me to make some applesauce too.  I peeled about 8 large apples, chopped them up, and boiled them (loosely based on this method). 

Once they were soft, I drained most of the remaining water, mashed them with a potato masher (does that thing have a real name?) and added a good bit of cinnamon.  I told her I could add sugar if she wanted, since it would definitely be a little more tart than store-bought applesauce, but she seemed to like it as it was. 

She texted me the other day saying she was eating it for a snack at work – how perfect.  Simple, easy to make, healthy, delicious…

Just call me the apple lady, folks.

Happy fall!