Apple Cake

  Picked up a small paperback cookbook at the grocery store this morning and Bettie picked this recipe for apple cake for me to bake. What a good choice that turned out to be. My daughter and grandkids came over and between everyone, there is just a few pieces left of a 9x13 pan. The house smelled so good that no one wanted to wait till it was cold so ate it still warm. The pieces that were left were just as good later in the evening with coffee. This is a recipe I will make again. Nice texture and moist from the apples. The topping was just the right touch to finish it off. A good use for apples beside pie which is what I usually make.

Apple Cake

1 ¼ cups sugar DIVIDED

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk (I soured some milk, 1 tablespoon lemon fill with milk to one cup) 

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon, DIVIDED

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups apples, peeled and chopped 

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

 Preheat oven to 350°. Spray or grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.

 Beat ¾ cup of the granulated sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla 3 minutes in large bowl with mixer at medium speed or until creamy. Beat in the buttermilk

 Combine flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in medium bowl. Beat into sugar mixture until well blended. Stir in apples. 

 Pour batter into prepared pan. Combine remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nuts in small bowl. Sprinkle over batter.

 Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.