Apples and More Apples

October 19th, 2009

Bowl of Apples

I promised you my recipes using the freshly picked apples from Solebury Orchards and here it is! I must admit when I was younger the only version of apples I would actually consume was apple juice. There is even a picture of me waking up from a nap. My hair is disheveled and my face is in a permanent pouty, confused expression. And along with my strawberry printed blankie, I have my bottle of apple juice lying on the bed, half-empty. God…I was a cute kid. But as with everything in life, things change. I look like a distorted version of my former self and I have no taste for sweet drinks. Sad, isn’t it?

Applesauce

Let me start with the applesauce. I never knew how simple it really is to make until I was overwhelmed with consuming leftover apples before they began to rot. Instead of force feeding myself, I thought it was a saner idea to make applesauce and call it a day.

Recipe: Simple Applesauce

Makes 1 quart (4 cups)

Ten apples of a single variety (I like Gala, but I heard Pink Ladies are equally good if not better)

1 cup of water

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

1 tablespoon of sugar (depending on sweetness of your apples)

A pinch of salt

  • Peel and core apples. Rough chop and place in large soup pot. You may decide to add the peel. It gives a singular rosy hue to the finished product. But you will have to fish them out later.
  • Add water, sugar, salt and lemon juice to pot.
  • Bring to boil.
  • Simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Use a potato masher to make a nice chunky applesauce or if you want a finer texture, use a food mill or food processor.
  • Let cool before storing in refrigerator.

Handy Dandy MixerIngredients

I took my homemade applesauce and decided to make a simple cake. I adapted Gale Gand’s recipe for applesauce cake. I know that she is a well-known pastry chef. And really, who wants to mess with such culinary knowledge? But the lady uses 1 stick of butter along with 2 cups of applesauce! Since applesauce usually substitutes fat in low-calorie recipes, I cut the amount of butter in half. I also added less brown sugar and more cinnamon. I didn’t have any raisins because I was too lazy to go to the grocery store, so I just used more chopped apples. But I read that raisins and even walnuts are the perfect addition to the cake. Give it a try and let me know.

Applesauce Cake

Recipe: Applesauce Cake

Makes 8 – 10 servings

1/4 cup or 1/2 stick of room temperature butter

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

2 cups of applesauce

1/2 cup raisins or 1 small apple, chopped (both optional)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease a loaf pan. Add a piece of parchment paper and let it hang over the sides to create handles. Grease parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In mixer, cream butter. Add brown sugar and continue to mix. Add eggs, one at a time and then vanilla. Mix until well blended and fluffy.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture alternately with applesauce. Fold in optional ingredients (apples, walnuts, or raisins).
  • Pour into loaf pan and bake until firm to touch about 50 – 60 minutes.
  • Let cool in pan and then turn out.

Note: When I made this cake, I added the whole amount to the loaf pan. But thankfully, nothing overflowed when it was baking. If you want to bake on the safe side, put a baking sheet under your loaf pan or you can always reserve some batter and make mini muffins! Mmmmm….mini muffins. Bake at the same oven temperature and check at the 20 minute mark.

Slices of Cake

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