Apple Cake

My dad holds on to recipes to share with me when I come visit. And, this visit was no exception. He had held onto a newspaper insert called Relish (September 2010) for me to take home. He was really interested in this apple cake recipe that was in it. Since he had a bundt pan, why does someone who doesn't bake have a bundt pan is beyond me, I decided to try the recipe.

This is one of those recipes, that even as you are putting together, it's like sunshine in your kitchen. You can't go wrong with anything that involves desert, apples, and cinnamon. Of course, I made a adjustments to the recipe to fit my taste, which I will share, but here is the original recipe. Ok, in all honesty, sometimes I don't follow a recipe exactly because I'm not paying close enough attention.


Apple Cake
6 cups peeled and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples (about 3 large)
1 1/2 cups, plus 5 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extrat

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease, sugar, and flour a 10-inch bundt or tube pan.
2. Combine apple slices with 5 tablespoons granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
4. Beat eggs with remaining granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add vegetable oil, orange juice, and vanilla; beat well. Gradually blend in flour mixture and mix until well-blended.
5. Pour one-third of the batter into the pan. Top with half the apple slices, draining off any liquid [I couldn't bear to part with the teaspoon or so of cinnamon-y goodness so I mixed it into the remaining batter}. Pour in half the remaining batter and top with remaining apple slices. Top with remaining batter, making sure the apples are covered.
6. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until the top turns golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in pan. Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Serves 16.

Price Breakdown (for the way I made it)
1.52 Apples (1.27/pound)
.17 1/2 cup sugar + 5 tbs (2.50/5 pounds)
.15 cinnamon and vanilla
.24 flour (1.50/5 pounds)
.07 baking powder
.33 eggs (on sale this last week .99/dozen)
.42 vegetable oil (2.50/48 oz)
.25 orange juice (1.99/half gallon)

Total: $3.15 or $0.39 for each huge slice (8 slices)
I had already started making the cake when I tried looking for the brown sugar. Fail. I couldn't find any and I didn't catch I needed 1 1/2 cups of sugar. It was plenty sweet without the extra sugar. The recipe in the magazine said that you could use milk in place of the orange juice. That's what I would do if I were at home since I never have o.j. It was delicious. Enjoy!