Mom's Apple Cake

Just thinking about this cake brings a smile to my face and warm feelings to my heart. It is a family recipe- one that is so strongly associated with my childhood I will forever call it “Mom’s apple cake”.

Honeycrisp Apples

This is a picture of my childhood home. My Dad is in the back working in his garden.
The large expanse of yard in front of our tiny house contained several apple trees. Each fall we would take an empty laundry basket into the field and fill it full of fresh apples. Even the dogs “helped” out, chasing apples that rolled away as if they were tennis balls and learning that if they jumped up on the picnic table they could pick apples straight off the tree. (This wasn’t encouraged!) When we were finished picking, the baskets were overflowing and our fridge was filled with green fruit. Mom would begin to work through the apples that needed to be eaten right away, and one of the first things to come out of the oven each fall was a big batch of apple cake.

Making Apple Cake

Mom's Apple Cake

A simple combination of a few ingredients mixed with fresh apples- this cake is anything but fussy. Peeling the apples is the most time consuming task, and within about an hour your house will smell of cinnamon, apples, and fall. The dense, moist cake sits out on the counter top, tempting you to take nibbles throughout the day whenever you walk by. In fact, this is one instance where my Mom gave up altogether on regulating dessert, and just left a table knife in the cake. We would all cut off bits for breakfast, snacks, or just because we couldn’t resist until it quickly disappeared.

Mom's Apple Cake-8

Many years later, just after meeting Mr. B for the first time, an occasion arose for me to take something by his house. Already smitten, I spent hours contemplating what would woo him without seeming too “intentional”. When the memory of Mom’s apple cake crossed through my mind I immediately knew it was just the dish to make. Quite happily it worked its charms, adding another warm memory to the long list of why I love this cake.

Apparently I’m not alone in my fondness for mom’s apple cake. Deb of SmittenKitchen also had an apple cake baking mother. The recipes are very similar, leading me to believe that this may be a cake beloved by mothers everywhere!

Mom’s Apple Cake (Printable Recipe)
Serves 10

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon mace
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups peeled, diced apples (not too small)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup dried fruit cut up to raisin size (optional, I used raisins)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle.

In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, mace, baking soda, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients until the are well combined. Next add the diced apples to the bowl and stir until the apples are coated by the dry ingredients. Add eggs, oil, vanilla, and dried fruit. Stir well until the mixture is evenly moist and all ingredients are combined. Pour the cake batter into an ungreased 9×12 pan, using a spatula to even out the surface if necessary.

Bake the cake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cleanly. Let cool for a few minutes before cutting the cake. The cake is best when eaten the same day, but can last at room temperature up to three days.
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