Mom's Apple Cake

So. We missed a week. Let me explain.

If there is one thing that can throw a serious monkey wrench into a personal-chef business, it's a broken refrigerator. Three weeks of no working fridge in the house, so to the rescue come three friends and their three fridges. (You know who you are and I love you dearly.) The BF and I are driving all over town to these different locations, then out to fulfill all the client orders. Extra time, extra hassle, and then of course problems with new-fridge delivery and oy...

Then, a bonus: jury duty. [Ed. note: #@%$#^&*] I was called to attend, but luckily was dismissed on the second day. A side note: in 1993 I served for four weeks during procedures that were deciding whether or not a serial killer was competent enough to stand trial. We determined that he was.

So, with all apologies, am late in getting into the Rosh Hashanah spirit. Even though it started on Sunday and ends today, Tuesday, it's not too late to make this lovely apple cake. This will work throughout the rest of fall and winter, and really, the last three weeks have had a "better late than never" kind of mantra.

Many years ago I made this for my Momala, and it was an instant favorite (and she is a woman who knows her coffee cakes). The BF enjoyed it for his birthday last year, and of course it was brought out again for this Rosh Hashanah. It doesn't skimp on the apples, the entire house smells like apples, cinnamon, and fall.

The BF and I want to wish all our Jewish family and friends a healthy and happy Shana Tova!​

Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Number of servings: 12-16
​
Ingredients
For the apples

• 6 apples, McIntosh apples, or a mix of whatever looks good
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons (65 grams) granulated sugar

For the cake

• 2 ¾ cups (360 grams) flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
• 1 cup (235 ml) vegetable oil (safflower, sunflower, olive and coconut oil also work, as does melted butter)
• 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice
• 2 ½ teaspoons (13 ml) vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup (130 grams) walnuts, chopped (optional, and to be honest I never use them)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease a tube pan (use a one-piece tube, not two-piece). Peel, core and chop apples into 1-inch chunks. Toss with cinnamon and 5 tablespoons sugar and set aside.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Mix wet ingredients into dry ones; scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
3. Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples, and their juices, over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 ½ hours, or until a tester comes out clean.*
4. Cool completely before running knife between cake and pan, and unmolding onto a platter.

DO AHEAD: This cake is awesome on the first day but absolutely glorious and pudding-like on the days that follow, so feel free to get an early start on it. I keep it at room temperature covered with foil.

* NOTE: The apples love to hide uncooked pockets of batter, especially near the top. Make sure your testing skewer or toothpick goes not just all the way down to the bottom, but does a shallow dip below the top layer of apples, and make sure it comes out batter-free. Should your cake be browning too fast, before the center is baked through, cover it with foil for all but the last few minutes, while in the oven.