Katherine's Apple Cake

This is such a beautiful cake and so flavorful! When I was growing up, our family was a little different. For birthdays, we did not usually have a chocolate cake (my dad did not like chocolate very much) or other types of cake with icing like one usually sees at birthdays. Instead, my mom often made cakes with fruit or other different cakes that are not traditionally considered birthday cakes. This was one of those cakes that we all loved and often had for birthdays and other special meals, as well as brought to picnics. This moist cake that was shared with my mom many years ago by her sister-in-law, Katherine Mattoon. Some food is best enjoyed fresh and some is best enjoyed after the flavors have time to sit together- this is one of those best enjoyed the day after it is made. It is much more moist and the cake has so much more flavor.


Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup orange juice
4 large sliced apples
2 tsp cinnamon (or if you really like cinnamon, use just a little less than 1 Tbsp)
5 Tbsp sugar

Sift together dry ingredients in a small bowl. Cream oil and sugar together in a large bowl and then add eggs, beating after each addition. Add orange juice and then the dry ingredients.  Pour half of the cake mixture into a greased cake tube pan- it needs to be one with straight sides, not the sloped angel food cake pan. Spread the sliced apples over the batter and then sprinkle with half of the cinnamon mixture. Spread the remainder of the batter over the apples, followed by the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture on top.  (Lately when I have made this cake, I have laid down the initial half of the batter in the pan, then divided the apples into two groups and layered 2 layers of apple, separated by a small amount of batter and cinnamon mixture. This gives more layers of apple throughout the cake- not really much more work.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours or until thin knife inserted in cake all the way to the bottom comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes on a rack, then remove tube from outer ring and cool the remaining time. After it has cooled completely, run a knife around the inside of the tube/cake, as well as under the bottom of the cake to loosen from the metal tube. Carefully turn out cake onto rack and then turn over onto serving plate/stand.

This is a tall cake! It can be a little tricky getting it out of the pan. It is very important to run a sharp knife (or butter knife) around the inside and outside edges of the pan to loosen it. Let it cool for at least 15- maybe closer to 20 minutes before trying to remove the outer ring. Then make sure it cools about 20 minutes or more before attempting to removed it from the inner ring.

An easy trick for removing the cake from the ring without it falling apart is to place a cooling rack on top of the cake and turn it over. Remove the ring, then place the cake plate/server face side to the bottom of the cake and then flip back over to upright position.


For glaze, mix together 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, 2 1/2 tsp milk and 1/4 tsp vanilla. May add more milk if desiring a thinner glaze. Pour over cooled cake.

Store cake in a covered cake container to preserve moisture.