'a' is for 'assload of apples'
september 27, 2004 @
22:45
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It's apple season and my dad brought us like 100 pounds of apples from the orchard in his back yard. (It's the orchard right off the highway that has all the broken hockey sticks holding up the trees.) Don't get me wrong, I like apples, but that's a lot of damn apples. Like way more than anyone could eat before they go bad. Today, for example, I had two. Now there are only 800 or so left. Dig in.
Libby already made a giant apple crisp for me to eat. It's very good. Much better than any of the fruit cobblers or crumbles or crisps I ever make. My problem is that as soon as I see the recipe for the crumble topping I get freaked out by the 10 sticks of butter it requires and I try and cut back and we end up eating flour dusted fruit. It's still good if you put enough cinnamon on it. And if you like paste. Which I don't, especially. But I'll eat it anyway. Fruit, that is, not paste.
Maybe I'll sauce some this weekend.
dad thought:
Fresh Apple Cake (Press Scimitar)
cakes, fruit, favorites
1 1/2 cups salad oil [Tracy's Note: I use Crisco oil]
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans; chopped
3 cups raw apples; chopped
----CARAMEL FROSTING----
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 cup dark brown sugar; firmly packed
0 x confectioner's sugar
Fresh Apple Cake: Prepare apples and set aside. Measure salad oil
(room temperature) into mixing bowl. Add sugar and eggs and mix well
at low speed on electric mixer until creamy smooth. Sift all-purpose
flour and measure. Then sift again with salt, soda and baking powder.
Add flour mixture to creamed mixture in small amounts. Beat well after
each addition. When batter becomes stiff, remove electric beater and
finish mixing by hand. Fold in chopped nuts and apples last. Mix well.
Spread evenly in 9x13-inch pan, lined on the bottom with waxed paper.
Bake at 350 degrees F about 55 to 60 minutes. Turn onto cake rack to
cool and remove paper. When cake is baked in 2 round 9-inch cake
layers use the same temperature and bake only 40 to 45 minutes or
until layers are done. Avoid overbaking.
Caramel Frosting: Measure butter, salt, evaporated milk, and brown
sugar into small saucepan. Heat lightly just to melt butter. Mix until
sugar dissolves. Add enough sifted confectioner's sugar to make of
right consistency to spread.
Notes: This is the article that accompanied the recipe.
The fresh apple cake - winner in the Press Scimitar's Favorite Recipe
Contest - can be made during the holidays now with firm, tart apples
of top quality.
Apples should be peeled, quartered and chopped fine. Pieces of apple
should be about the size of an English pea. [Tracy's Note: I usually
do this in the Cuisinart.] For measuring, lift chopped apple into
measuring cup without packing. Fine apples for making this cake are
the crisp Winesap and York Imperial. Prepare apples and have ready
before starting the cake. Measure shelled nuts and then chop fine. Any
nuts may be used such as pecans, California walnuts, Brazil nuts,
hickory nuts, black walnuts, peanuts, etc.
When the creaming becomes hard, remove electric mixer and finish cake
by blending with a slotted spoon, a batter beater or long handled
wooden spoon. Use a rubber spatula to go around sides of bowl and to
clean off the spoon frequently.
The liquid in this cake is provided by the salad oil and apples
chiefly. No liquid such as milk is needed. The unusual rich quality of
this cake comes from the blending of light oil, apples and chopped
nuts in the creamy smooth batter. Eggs for this cake should be the
very largest size. When smaller eggs are used the number should be
increased by three. (Tracy's Note: I swear the original article (which
I have a xerox of) says "by" three, but I'm thinking that should be
"to" three - five eggs sounds like too many, even if small...) Eggs
should be room temperature. To warm eggs quickly, crack eggs and drop
into a glass. Place the glass in a bowl of warm water.
Size of Pan: This cake will make two 9-inch round layers. Shallow cake
pans will not give this cake room to rise. Be sure the pans are 1 3/4
to 2 inches deep. In The Press-Scimitar kitchen, this cake was most
popular baked in a 9x13-inch pan.
Mrs. Robert A. Crenshaw baked this cake very successfully in a 10-inch
angel food cake pan. The cake was started in a low oven (300 degrees
F) and baked for 30 minutes. Then without the oven door being opened,
the heat was reduced to 250 degrees F and the baking continued for two
hours. Mrs. Mattie Borkholder, cafeteria manager for Plough, Inc.,
telephoned to say, "Recently we had the 25-year banquet for the plough
employees who have a record of 25 years' experience with the company.
What do you think we had for dessert? That wonderful fresh apple cake
cut in squares and topped with whipped cream."
Since this cake is very tender, line the bottom of the cake pan with
waxed paper to insure perfect release from the pan. When done, turn
cake onto rack to cool. Peel off paper carefully. For slicing this
cake, use a sharp knife as is recommended for fruitcake.
To Ice or Not: Mrs. James W. Worley who sent in this prize-winning
recipe included a caramel icing. In the Press-Scimitar's test kitchen
the cake was found to be luscious served plain. Innumerable calls from
happy readers have indicated their preference in serving this cake
uniced. Or the topping may be varied for the occasion using whipped
non-fat dry milk, whipped cream, ice cream, instant dessert whip, etc.
Late Thanksgiving Eve a call came about this cake. "I never ice this
cake. I will make a design on top with confectioner's sugar. We will
take it to Mississippi tomorrow."
To Freeze: This cake may be frozen uniced or iced with this caramel
frosting made with confectioner's sugar. Cake should be well protected
with clear plastic wrap and aluminum foil. If possible, return the
cake to the pan in which it was baked. Then wrap entirely airtight. So
many of you have asked for it - here is the prize-winning recipe:
Source: The Memphis Press Scimitar, c. 1950s or 60s? (to judge by the
clothing and hair styles in the accompanying photos, Alice Beatty
Pitts, reporter
Serves 18 to 20
Huna thought:
Fresh Crusty Computer Engineer
1 beard (length variable for texture preference)
2 Xbox2 prototypes
1 news reader
1 fishing boat
1/4 cup Infiniband sauce
Mix Xboxes and sauce in a large AS/400 case. Add beard while using news reader to post fishing boat trolls.
For extra pizazz, add a touch of Honey Boy.
Source: IBM Redbook, c. 1970s.