This apple snack cake is loaded with sweet, tart bites of apple, crunchy nuts and a bit of batter thrown in to hold it all together. It’s very similar to one my mother used to make and has a place on a Mother’s Day breakfast or brunch table.
My mother referred to a couple of cookbooks on a regular basis. Her treasure was the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook with the red and white plaid cover. When she came across a recipe she liked in a magazine, she’d rip the page out and tuck it inside. She also had page upon page of handwritten recipes.
It was the Old School version of Pinterest.
If Pinterest had been available while she lived, my mother would have been a power user. She made due, and by the time she died, the cookbook was so stuffed full of recipes it didn’t close properly any more.
Mom was an active person who loved to garden and do crafts. She grew up in a time when a woman was expected to finish school and work until she married, at which point she’d quit her job to take care of hearth and home. My mother followed the same path as many in her generation and while I don’t think she missed working outside the home, it would be unfair to characterize her as a meek housewife.
She was a coffee drinker and a smoker who loved to read science fiction and formula romance novels. She’d stay up late into the night to read or to work on a craft project that had taken her fancy. The house was full of beautiful things she’d made.
I’ve been thinking about her a lot this year as we approach Mother’s Day. The birth of my grandson has ushered in a new season of life for me and I would have loved to share the moment with her. I’d like to think we’d sit at her kitchen table and enjoy a piece of her favorite apple snack cake with our favorite hot beverage.
Somehow her exact recipe was lost after she died, but I’m pretty sure it came from the aforementioned Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I found the recipe for this cake on their website, which is pretty similar to the one I remember.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar (or a mix of white and brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups peeled and chopped tart apples (I used 3 medium Granny Smith apples and had slightly more than 3 cups)
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and prepare a large baking sheet with a rim with cooking spray. (Adjust the cooking time if using a different size)
- Measure all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
- In another mixing bowl combine the eggs, oil and vanilla. Then stir in the apples and nuts. (You can mix everything in the large bowl, but it’s harder to get all the ingredients to combine evenly…ask me how I know).
- Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in the wet. Stir to combine. The batter will be very thick.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. I used my hands.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack. The apples will finish cooking while the cake cools.
Do you have a special food or tradition you associate with your Mother? Tell me about it in the comments.
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