There isn't a day that goes by where I am not reminded of all of the women who have nurtured my soul and my spirit over the course of my life thus far. As Mother's Day approaches these reminders cause me to be thankful for the blessings which were the direct result of my life path crossing with the women who have shared their wisdom, extended kindnesses, gifted me with their time, provided support, listened without judgment, and sometimes even passed on their recipes to me. From mothers of friends, to neighbors, to friends, to my administrative assistants over the years, these women have often been like surrogate mothers, filling the small, sometimes large voids in my life. They have been some of the wisest, most brilliant, and unselfish women I have had the good fortunate to know, admire, respect, and love.
The other day I was looking through some of my cookbooks when I discovered a yellowed, folded piece of paper with the typewritten recipe for a Fresh Apple Cake on it. The discovery of a lost treasure. If an anthropologist has the ability to date important artifacts, they would be accurate if they identified this piece of paper as being 35 years old. Beyond determining its' age, they most likely would not be able to discern the backstory of this recipe. Because behind almost every handwritten or hand typed recipe there is almost always a story.
Very early on in my professional life, I worked for an educational organization where all of the administrators were supported by a group of hardworking, dedicated, going above and beyond the call of duty secretaries (yes, secretaries, the concept of administrative assistants was not yet conceived). They read our (or I should say my) illegible handwriting (this was in the days before computers), they miraculously never let us miss a deadline, and they sometimes brought in homemade baked goods for our meetings (this was in the days before there were a proliferation of bagel shops and bakery-cafes). Yes, after a long day at the office and going home to take care of their families, they were also taking care of (spoiling actually) us.
The typewritten recipe for the Fresh Apple Cake came from the 'secretary' that supported me. Her name was Jan. In addition to her role as a 'secretary' she was a lifesaver/coach/confidant/protector/cheerleader/handwritingdecipherer all wrapped into one. Finding the Fresh Apple Cake recipe brought back a flood of memories. Not only of how much I learned from her, but also how much of a surrogate 'mother' she was to me and others.
I had written some notes on the typewritten Fresh Apple Cake recipe, reflecting some of the tweaks I had made to her recipe way back when. It had been years since I made this cake (another one of those recipes thought to be forever lost). I couldn't help but think it was rather serendipitous finding the recipe just days before Mother's Day.
There are many versions of a Fresh Apple Cake out there and while admittedly not having made or tasted all of them, this recipe might be one of the best. And not just for sentimental reasons. It is moist, crunchy on the edges, not to sweet but ever so satisfying the sweet tooth, and it is beautiful.
It is a cake perfect for dessert, for breakfast, for a morning or afternoon meeting and oh yes, for Mother's Day. This recipe does not require the use a mixer, although you can use one if you want to. A whisk and spatula or wooden spoon will create a perfect cake.
Some apple cakes will call for a mixture of apples, but I have always found this to be a little too evasive for me. I like clarity and I love Granny Smith apples. What I love even more is their tartness and texture in this cake. So for this cake recipe the recommended apples are Granny Smiths. The cake calls for 4 cups of peeled and diced apples and so depending on the size of your apples you may need 4 or 5. Once the apples are diced, toss with approximately two tablespoons of all-purpose flour and set aside. The flour coating on the apples will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan during baking.
In a large bowl, the vegetable oil and granulated sugar are whisked until well combined. You will need to put some muscle in this to ensure these two ingredients are well blended (as an added benefit your arms will get a quick workout in). Three large eggs (yes the photo only shows two, but trust me, it needs three eggs) are whisked in until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla. Using a spatula, mix in the sifted dry ingredients (flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda) until well combined.
The diced apples and chopped, toasted walnuts are mixed in last. After they have been incorporated you will have a very thick batter. The toasted walnuts really add a depth of flavor to this cake, so I encourage you to keep them in. As a reminder, to toast walnuts, place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
I used a 9 inch coffee cake pan (Nordicware made the pan I used), however, you could also use a tube pan. Regardless of whether or not the pan you use is non-stick pan, butter/spray and flour the pan (don't forget this step or you will be cursing when you go to unmold the baked cake). In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake the Fresh Apple Cake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. This is a moist cake, one that gets even moister the second day, so you want to be sure to not undercook it.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan before unmolding onto a platter or cake stand. Top the cooled, unmolded cake with sifted confectionary sugar. The cake is delicious adorned only with confectionary sugar, however, a little freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream compliments the cake perfectly.
Fresh Apple Cake (inspired from a recipe shared a lifetime ago by Jan Bilow)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons for stirring into diced apples
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon of Saigon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples (about 4-5 apples, depending on size)
1 cup roasted and chopped walnuts
Optional: 1 cup dark raisins, soaked in hot water and then drained before adding in
Confectionary sugar for dusting
Whipping cream for serving
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch coffee cake or tube pan.
2. Sift flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Toss diced apples with two tablespoons of flour in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
4. Whisk together the vegetable oil and sugar until well blended.
5. Whisk in eggs until well incorporated.
6. Stir in vanilla.
7. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
8. Stir in apples and walnuts until well combined. The batter will be very thick.
9. Bake cake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Allow cake to cool in pan before unmolding onto a platter or cake stand.
11. Sift confectionary sugar over cooled, unmolded cake.
12. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
As someone without children of my own, I have always looked at Mother's Day through a slightly different lens. That being looking at it as a day to celebrate all of the women who have come into my life and been like surrogate mothers to me. The first time they came into my life when I was in elementary school, only I didn't have the word at the time to describe this relationship. Early on they were the mothers of my friends as they seemed to have a kind of sixth sense about me (I have always been relatively easy to read). But later on there was a randomness (or so it seemed at the time) to the women who became more than just a casual acquaintance. Sometimes they were in my life for long periods of time and sometimes just for a short while, however, the impact they each had on me was not time dependent.
As I take that rearview window look at the various points in my life, I am well aware that I sometimes consciously sought out these women or they, for reasons at first unknown, found me. I truly believe we don't sit back and wait for lifelines to come into our lives, sometimes we go out and find them, and then sometimes they seem to find us. Just as I think it was fate that I found the Fresh Apple Cake recipe days before Mother's Day, I believe fate has also been responsible for bringing so many amazing women, amazing surrogate mothers into my life. So as you celebrate Mother's Day this year, I hope you too will remember all of the women who have been there for you, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.
