Meals seem to go hand-in-hand with our memories. This Back to School Apple Cake is a memorable Autumn recipe from the collection. So simple & delicious, it is a little jewel.
BACK TO SCHOOL APPLE CAKE
Back to School Apple Cake came into my life after one of our holiday trips back to the South. On every trip I make it my mission to visit local eateries and pick up recipes along the way. This trip was no exception, yielding a homemade cookbook from Maw’s Li’l Shack of Produce in North Carolina, even though I was actually visiting Georgia.
Simple down home recipes are contained in the booklet and the one that jumped out at me was the Chopped Apple Cake in a Jar. Yes, cakes baked in pint wide mouth Mason Jars. One year I made them for holidays gifts, a big hit. But, on this day I baked two small loaves to share with friends.
FARMERS MARKET
The reminder to bake these cakes was the fact that the “apple lady” family from my previous hometown famers market make it up all the way up the coast to our sleepy beach village, sporting some of the best apples around. Happy to see them, though I doubt they remembered me after all these years, I decided the apple cake was in order this cake always fits the Fall bill. We are getting closer to Autumn and back to school, time to start baking again.
Ok, this cake is about as basic as it can get and that is exactly what makes it a little jewel. I, of course, have made some small changes over the years, noted on the xeroxed recipe card from the booklet. A few changes I have made are to use Demerara sugar in place of standard cane sugar, including sprinkling the top before baking with the brown crunchy textured sugar. Coconut oil and vanilla bean paste are my other two recipe changes. I like using my favorite ingredients when I can, even in this humble cake. See COOK’S NOTES on recipe card. Mix up the cake in the work bowl of a stand mixer for ease or make by hand, either way the cake comes together easily.
BRAMLEY APPLES
The farmers market find of the two unusual organic apples, one sweeter and a green ones, Bramley Apples, are a very tart and balance the flavor of the cake. I love using the heirloom varities of apples, and did some checking on the Barmley apple.
I found that Bramley’s Seedling is without doubt the main English cooking apple, and in terms of flavor ranks as one of the world’s great culinary apples. Wow. These “cookers” reign supreme in the England, all others are left behind. The reasons are its key feature of very high level of acidity and the excellent strong apple flavour it lends to any apple dish. Organic produce sometimes can be a bit flawed, but I’m not one who needs perfect looking produce, the cake will be just as lovely, using some older bruised fruit as well.
BIJOUXS LITTLE JEWELS
The blog was born in 2010, and this recipe is No. 373. I love sharing the wide variety of recipes from my collection. I think there is something for everyone here, a welcoming place that celebrates the home cook and the beauty all around us in our kitchens.
This Back To School Apple Cake has been a family favorite, please enjoy this little jewel from the Bijouxs Kitchen.
As always, enjoy. B
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