Here we are stuck at home again, getting plenty of exercise by shoveling lots of snow in frigid temperatures! I thought there would be an upside to this weather. Today it's Groundhog Day, and I knew that Pennsylvania was getting hit with the same storm we are having. I figured there was no way that Punxsutawney Phil could have seen his shadow, but apparently he did. If you want to believe the lore, that means 6 more weeks of winter weather are on the way. [FYI, according to the calendar, that’s exactly what we SHOULD expect since the official start of Spring is not until March 20, over 6 full weeks away.]
On a day like today my thoughts turn to easy to make baked goods. Tossing snow to the top of ever rising snowbanks expends a lot of calories.
This is not a day to make a run for the supermarket, so I’ll share a recipe for a cake made from ingredients found in many kitchens. This simple apple cake makes an excellent dessert and is also delicious for breakfast. It’s a great way to use up any remaining fall apples you have in your refrigerator. My recipe is an adaptation from a recipe for apple coffee cake found in The Apple Kitchen Cook Book, by Demetria Taylor, published in 1976.
Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients for batter
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup rolled oats (quick or old fashioned)
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 large cooking apples, peeled and sliced
Ingredients for topping
- 1/4 cup sugar
- /2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Grease a 9” round (or an 8” square) cake pan
- Beat egg and sugar together until creamy.
- In a smaller bowl combine and mix together the dry ingredients.
- Add alternately with milk to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Stir in oats and shortening until well mixed.
- Spread half the batter in the greased cake pan.
- Arrange the apple slices on top of the batter.
- Spread remaining batter over the slices.
- Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat.
- Remove from heat and stir in the topping ingredients.
- Spoon topping over the cake.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, just until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry.
Notes
- The original recipe called for melted shortening instead of oil.
- Vegans should note that the cake is also successful if you use egg replacer.
- Nuts were not part of the original topping. I like pecans, but walnuts and almonds also work.
- If you do have any leftovers, warm them up just a bit before serving.
Happy Groundhog Day! [For more on this holiday, check out this blog post from the past.]
And Happy Meatless Monday! Shovel carefully and since this storm has included a bit of wintry mix, watch out for any icy patches!
On Mondays I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”
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