The one thing I can promise you is that this dessert will never have the chance to get nearly as stale as this blog has gotten over the past few months… because it will never last that long.  Nor, will I bore you with the made up stories details and excuses about why I haven’t posted in a while. The short answer is… (brace yourself)… because I don’t have to 🙂  A perk of this blog is that I don’t have any deadlines.  The only person keeping me in-check, is me….aaaaaand due to the fact that I have other things in life that interest me, little children that need big attention, and some nights where I would rather cozy up with a big fat bowl of froot loops in sweatpants (that would be me in sweatpants, not the froot loops… just in case you read in a literal sense the way that I do) and do absolutely nothing… I’m a pretty lenient boss.

That being said, enter Fall.  For most, this season conjures up images of big warm sweaters (and thank god, because bathing suit season starts to feel like it’s never.going.to.end), crackling leaves and warm nights by the fireplace.  While, yes, I love those things too… for me, Fall means one holiday based on a crack-load of candy, followed by dreading the four letter world “snow” and running non-stop until May because there is a holiday every 3-4 weeks until then.  How do I squash most of these feelings of “eeeek?” Baking.  Baking with lots of butter, lots of sugar and my kiddies (and by “kiddies,” I mean a bourbon bomber beverage or two).  Plus, when your significant other has a medical-grade phobia of all “turn the heat on, we’re freezing” type remarks… you just get yourself in the kitchen, crank up that oven to the max and enjoy the toasty kitchen you were destined to have.

This is the season for apples, which is perfect because it also happens to be the time for apple cake, a spoon, and some serious DVR work.  I love this “cake” because it’s not so much cake… It’s more of the “scoop up a few spoonfuls, hand it a date with vanilla ice cream, and don’t ever say the word gym again” sort of treat.  The top is a nice thin crunchy layer which disguises a sea of warm, gooey, cinnamon apple goodness underneath.  As I always say… “it may not be a good friend to your waistline, but it sure is a super friend for your soul.”

ingredients.

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 cups apples – peeled, cored and diced  (PS, no one is counting your apples.  If you only have 1, or if you only have 6 pears, it doesn’t matter)  Have another cocktail, toss in 1 banana, a pinch of big-league chew, and a pencil eraser…and go with it.

directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour one 9×13 inch cake pan. (I USE AN 8″ ROUND PAN…i’ve usually eaten enough batter to make the 9×13 is too big to fill)
• In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.
• Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick.
• Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon, or a spatula, or a fork.  Again, roll with it.
• Spread batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F  for 45 minutes or until cake tests done.  I’m not even sure what that means… but if you are a super smart baker, you get it.  I just give my shoulders a shrug and take it out of the oven somewhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour. Let cake cool. Once cake is cool serve with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or with a Cream Cheese.  BAHAHAHA, “once the cake is cool”… who are you fooling? you’ll finish it long before it’s cool.

notes.

1. the batter will be thick.  and um, well, really delish too.

2. the round pans take longer to bake.  half way through, place a loose layer of tin-foil over the “cake” to stop the top layer from browning too much.  don’t seal it.  literally place it on top (the same way you do when you throw a piece of paper during a good match of rock, paper, scissors, and you feel like you need to show the losing opponent who selected a rock, how your paper covers their rock and trumps their selection, while laughing rudely as if you just solved the riddle of life.  ps, the odds of you winning were pretty good, you’re not a super star).

3.  it will not seem fully baked.  the center should be more of a half-baked batter consistency.  if you like more of a cake dessert, or are neurotic about eggs that aren’t cooked until they resemble fossil rock, bake longer.

recommended serving styles.

if you plan on serving and enjoying a bit with your mother-in-law:

if you are home alone on any night monday-friday, or saturday-sunday:

recipe credit