Aunt Polly's Apple Cake

Aunt Polly's Apple Cake is a treasured family recipe. I was first introduced to it when I was a teen-ager and dating my husband. It was his aunt's recipe and one that his mother made frequently. Fortunately she was happy to share the recipe and it became a "go to" recipe that my mother, sister, or I baked often as well. It is very moist, with a fall apart on the fork kind of quality. The apple chunks are nice when cut large so you can see them in each slice. If the peelings are left on it adds to the beauty of the sliced cake. Walnut pieces and coconut make up for the fact that there is no frosting on this cake. I hope you enjoy this cake recipe as much as we do!

Aunt Polly's Apple Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups oil*
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients together in mixing bowl and beat until well blended. In another bowl, sift together:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Fold the flour in with a spatula. Then gently add:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup coconut
• 3 cups apples, raw, diced

Place batter into a prepared tube pan. The batter will be stiff. Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 1 1/2 hours. 

*May reduce oil up to 1/2 the amount called for without compromising quality of cake.

{Apple tea is pictured in the teacups}

A P P L E S crisp

The neighborhood is busy preparing for apple harvest. Bins are being set out for pickers to fill with juicy, red, Fuji apples. The bins will fill the back of semi-trucks who haul them to a nearby packing plant. There's nothing like a tree ripened Fuji apple! Its juicy water-core indicates a sweet and ripe apple. Our friendly neighbors are generous with their apples, so it is a perfect time of year to prepare foods with this delicious fruit!

An Apple-a-Day Pesto

1 1/2 cups basil leaves, fresh
1 cup parsley, fresh
1 cup Fuji apple, cored and quartered
1/4 cup almonds
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate
1 tsp. lemon juice, fresh
1 tsp. lemon zest, fresh
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Place basil, parsley, apple, almonds, and salt in food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Stop pulsing and add apple juice concentrate, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Pulse food processor and then slowly drizzle olive oil into mixture. When blended, place pesto in a serving bowl.

Serve with apple slices, crusty slices of bread, and crackers. If you like to double-dip, add a bowl of peanut butter!

Enjoy!