Granny Smith apples are good
in Apple Cake.
There are cake people and there are pie people. I'm a pie person. But with the first hint of fall, I love making cakes.
I made two in the last week that I had to share with you all. They make nice gifts for someone you know who just came out of the hospital or needs some cheering.
Bundt and tube cakes are great because they're easy to transport and typically don't require any adornment other than a dusting of powdered sugar.
The first cake, the Apple Cake, is very moist and keeps well for a few days. Call it a coffee cake and you won't feel bad eating it for breakfast. I sure didn't. I made my Apple Cake with dainty little Granny Smith apples from my friend Cary's tree.
The second cake, a Buttermilk Pound Cake, is melt-in-your-mouth good. It was actually a little too deliciously dangerous to have sitting on my countertop, so I gave most of it away.
I think you'll like both of these cakes. A cool breeze, a calendar that says September and a cake on your kitchen counter. Yay for fall.
APPLE CAKE
1 cup or 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups apples, chopped
2 cups pecans
1. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Add remaining ingredients. Mix until combined.
2. Bake in a greased Bundt or tube pan at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE
1 cup or 2 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Dash of salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1. All ingredients should be at room temperature.
2. Cream butter thoroughly until fluffy. Add sugar, a little at a time, then eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add flour, soda and salt alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla extract.
3. Pour into greased and floured tube pan. Bake 1 hour, 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
