My favorite apple cake recipe
What does a gardener do for recreation when
she can’t dig, plant, and prune?
She
roots deep into her spice cabinet for ingredients. She measures, blends, and
bakes until the earth thaws.
For
instance, Regina’s Apple Cake that found my recipe box in October 1980 on
Algonac Street in Detroit. The 13”x9” pan served my family of five with
leftovers.
In my opinion, my
belated friend’s dessert is the most delicious way to use four to five unpeeled
Honeycrisps. I prefer the flavors of walnuts and apples baked in a substantial dough
and topped with whipped cream any day to a slice of apple pie.
This
in mind, I baked Regina’s legacy dessert for my Bible study group. While the
batter rose and blushed golden brown in the oven, I followed my newfound Toffee
Squares directions a friend posted online as her “mother’s favorite cookie.”
The dark brown
sugar shortbread and melted Hershey milk chocolate bar topping sprinkled with
chopped pecans tempted my palate. I sampled a warm, buttery, chocolate Toffee
Square. M-m-m. Then another. Oh yes, this cookie deserves its fame and place in
my kitchen.
Now, it’s not
common for me to bake two desserts in one day, or week, even when snowbound. Yet,
I’ve no winter days to waste submitting to dietary precautions. April’s around
the corner. I’ll soon resurrect my trowel, shovel, and secateurs.
True to a woman’s
infatuation with chocolate, l returned home from my study group with more cake
than cookies. My husband and I consumed the few Toffee Squares while several
servings of cake waited in the freezer.
Days later, my
friend who hosts our Bible lesson said, “I filled up on Toffee Squares last
week and didn’t taste that beautiful cake. Would you mind baking another one
for our last class?”
What does a
gardener who can’t dig, plant, and prune do for a good friend?
She scoops flour
and slices apples.
This time I remembered
to whip equal parts heavy cream and cream cheese with two tablespoons
confectionary sugar and one teaspoon vanilla extract.
With chocolate
competition eliminated, we ladies served ourselves a double portion of cake
crowned with a healthy dollop of cream sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
You see, these frigid
months when I adjust my glasses to better read my scribbling, I recreate my
mother standing before her kitchen counter.
A lover of
everything dairy, Mom would’ve never forgotten the whipped cream for Regina’s
recipe. And my aforementioned sentiment about apple pie would’ve rankled her
rolling pin.
Year round Mom produced
every pie imaginable. She stirred a mountain of cakes with her spatula. Her
banana cake with buttercream frosting one of my favorites.
My mother found
great pleasure in placing another pie, cake, pudding, or brownie variation on
her table when we visited her for summer vacation. She would’ve loved Toffee
Squares.
Dear Reader, what did
a gardener do for her mother who preferred to bake than dig, plant, and prune?
She found her mother’s trowel, shovel, and secateurs.
