Lemon Yogurt Cake When you have a little fan

For my youngest fan, JK, I know that your dreams will come true!

I hear it every so often.  "I read your blog."  "I love your blog."  "I really love your stories."  Its not every day, but its often enough that I feel reasonably reassured that out there, in the wide, wide world, I have a few fans.  Its especially reassuring considering that no one in my home reads my blog or enjoys my food.  My daily cooking is often met with groans, words like "Not THAT again" and "Why dont we ever eat out?"  My fans out there in cyber space are what keep my kitchen running like an old engine in need of an oil change.

However, my official tune-up to becoming a well-oiled old engine, came in the form of a 7-year-old daughter of a friend.  This young lady dreams of being a TV chef.  Her days are filled with visions of becoming a Food Network star, and she daily practices her TV cooking show.  Shes organized, methodical and an expert baker.  The craziest thing of all is that she counts me as one of her cooking idols.  I have a series of 4 cooking videos on Grokker, and she watches them repeatedly, often imitating the way I say a line, or asking rhetorical questions to my face on the screen that she knows will be answered soon after.  She is, truly, my biggest fan.  She asks her mom to make the recipes that I make and she begs her mom to watch me on Grokker.  She pulls up recipes from my blog to study and when she comes over, I see her shyly glancing my way, almost like one would with a star in the house.  She repeatedly asks her mom HOW we met (high school over 20 years ago) and how we are still friends after all this time.

So for you, JK,  my young apprentice from afar, I give you this recipe of lemon cake.  You tasted it, loved it and I told you it was the perfect recipe for you to make this weekend.  Its easy - no mixer required and all you need to do is have two bowls at the ready so that you can mix a bowl of wet ingredients and a bowl of dry ingredients.  It just so happens that your mom also likes it, so soon you can be the expert at making this lemon cake as well.

Hugs to you my young chef.  I know your star will come!

Lemon Yogurt Cake
(adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa At Home)
Makes 1 loaf, enough for 8 people

Ingredients for Cake
1 ½  cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½  teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
½  cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 to 3 lemons, and you’ll use the juice later)
½  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Whisk  together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another larger bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients,  making sure its all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

While cake is baking, make soaking syrup.

Ingredients for Syrup
? cup granulated sugar
? cup lemon juice (from the lemons zested)

Method
Cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

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Blueberry Crumb Cake When the crumbs fall in your lap

After I finished my lessons today, Daughters came up to me and basically tattled on the behavior of Son, who had, in their words, behaved badly at the park, teasing and being unnecessarily mean to some younger kids who were complete strangers.  I was so shocked and stunned I couldnt react.  Why would my sweet, adorable, little ANGEL do such a thing?

I knew, however, that their words were true.  They were relating the story of my angel as hes growing up and learning HOW to behave in social situations, and this particular behavior I found very offensive and troubling.  I came out and looked him straight in the eye and I said calmly, "I want you to think about what youve done, and after mommy cools down a bit, we are going to have a conversation."

"I dont WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION!"  Son sobbed, through a river full of tears.  Good, I thought to myself.  At least he feels something and he knows that something is up.

As I collected my thoughts in the shower, I knew I wanted to make a point about the meanness of words.  I wanted him to understand the pain that comes from being mean and how words, however small, can cut deeply and often do.  I collected my thoughts, thought of the Bible and the ministry of Jesus while He was on earth.  Ultimately, I wanted him to know of the damage and pain that hurtful words and teasing cause.

After everyone was clean, calm, and composed, we all sat down on the sofa, albeit #3 was less than attentive as he hates the feeling of being in trouble.  But we sat, discussed and I explained what the Bible taught us about how to treat others and ultimately what Jesus taught us about how to treat others.  I ended with what it means to be a victim of someone who is unkind and teases and says mean things.

"Mommy writes stories about her life, her work, her food and there are more than a few times where people think that saying mean or unkind things to her is okay.  But I want to tell you that oftentimes those words hurt mommys feelings and just because the person who says them to me is a stranger, it doesnt make it easier to hear.  How do you think mommy feels when someone says something mean to her?  And how do you feel knowing that people say mean things to mommy?"

#3 proceeded to burst out into tears, some out of remorse, perhaps some out of the relief that it wasnt going to be a super long tirade of mommy explaining all the things that he had done wrong.  I tried to take the crumbs of pain from my own life and turn them into something of value and of learning for Children.  Im not sure if theyll remember it the next time the temptation to tease someone but hopefully theyve learned from my own crumbly experience and itll become a small part of their own learning.

I made this delicious blueberry crumb cake this morning, without any thought of the crazy mental gymnastics Id end up doing in order to figure out how best to react to the afternoons bullying/teasing situation.  The cake is buttery, totally rich and delectable, and if youre a person who likes crumb (like me!) then youre going to love the rich buttery wonderfulness that is in this cake.  This certainly isnt low calorie or a diet food, but its a delicious way to showcase blueberries and a more-than-nice-enough cake to share with others.  I shared mine with teachers, neighbors, and friends.  

The recipe has two parts as you have to make the crumb topping separately from the cake itself, but making crumb topping (melt butter, add sugar and flour) is so easy you might decide that you want to add a crumb topping on everything.  Make the cake, either in a bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer and sprinkle with a ton of blueberries and youre ready to go!

Blueberry Crumb Cake 

(adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food June 2008)

Makes 1 8X8 inch square, serving 6 to 8 people

Crumb Topping

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

½  cup packed light-brown sugar

¼  teaspoon salt

1 cup of all purpose flour

Method

In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and  salt; add 1 cup flour, and mix with a fork until large moist crumbs form. Refrigerate topping until ready to use.  (Refrigeration really helps set the crumb topping so that when you go to bake it you get a gorgeous topping and not a bunch of melted stuff.)

Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature

1 cup sugar

¾ cup all-purpose flour 

¼   teaspoon salt

½  teaspoon baking powder

1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

11 oz fresh blueberries

Method

Preheat oven to 350.   Line an 8X8 baking pan with parchment, leaving overhang of paper if possible, and grease well with either butter or cooking spray.

Whisk together remaining flour, baking powder, salt; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Scrape down sides.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. 

Spread batter evenly in pan and sprinkle with blueberries.  On top of blueberries, sprinkle chilled crumb topping.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares.

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Bacon Maple Mochi Cake Ba Ma Chi Cake Split personality

For the ever brilliant and hip KJ and JJ who suggested I try this combination

Of course when you have three kids, its easy to assume that theyll share some characteristics and youll have to parent them more or less similarly.  The nitty gritty reality of parenting is that no two children are alike, and often times you have contrasting personalities that make you parent one child entirely differently from how you parent another.  When the kids are little and the personalities are in flux its not as obvious, but once a child is old enough for independent thought and action and speech, suddenly you realize that your life is not simple as a parent, and sometimes you feel like youre coaching three different sports simultaneously.

With #1 now in middle school, with more demanding homework, and #3 with daily homework assignments that he has to do, and #2 with the most challenging year of elementary school, 4th grade to manage, suddenly homework time has become a bit crazy.  All three children are required to come home and work independently on their work, and when Im done with my work, I can take a look and answer any questions they might have. Most recently, there was a single day when I came out of my office and walked into the fray of my own children to be blasted in three different directions on all three sides.

One child was fiercely dedicated to coloring something with such detail and precision, veins in her neck were popping out.  Another child sat gripping her pencil tightly, with the timer set at 20 minutes, madly scribbling in her notebook.  Still another child sat on the ground, homework papers scattered everywhere with the worlds most illegible handwriting on the paper.  In a single minute, the following three sentences flew out of my mouth.

"You.  Stop. Coloring. Enough.  Go to bed."
"You.  Dont worry about the time.  You wrote enough.  Go to bed."
"You.  Come here.  Erase all of this and start over."

The responses were as follows.

"NO!  I have to finish this so its perfect!"
"NO!  I HAVE to write for a full 20 minutes. The teacher SAYS so!"
"NO!  I dont care about my handwriting!"

I sat down on the ground and fanned myself.  I took a moment to breathe, then calmly glared at coloring child and told her to put it away.  I turned off the timer on writing child and told her to put it away. I grabbed eraser for illegible writing child and made him erase his work.

And that is like most days in my house, the type of schizophrenic parenting that Im required to do as a mother of three children.  Not a single one of them is like the other, although both daughters like to remind me that their perfectionist, self-demanding streak actually comes from me. (Their opinion. And mine.) Sons creative free spirit drives my demanding perfectionist streak to exhaustion while the daughters streak of perfectionism makes me constantly worried that Ive built two crazy robots that I cannot reprogram.  And this is why I parent with a split personality.

Sometimes this kind of dichotomy of personalities can be played out in food, and that is probably why I connect so strongly to this Ba-Ma-Chi cake.  Its simultaneously savory and sweet, chewy and crunchy and your mouth gets so confused the only thing that can come out of it is the word, "Delicious."  Ba-ma-chi cake is slightly reminiscent of cornbread that might have bacon in it, but texturally different.  The two times Ive made it people made a face when I explained what it was, and then they proceeded to shove several pieces in rapid succession into their mouth.  Dont knock it until you try it.  It sounds like it cant make sense but it really does.

If I can parent all the different personalities that I do, you can certainly try and make a cake that is both sweet and savory.  It is an hour baking time, so plan accordingly.

Bacon Maple Mochi Cake - Bamachi Cake

Makes 9x13 pan

Ingredients

10 -12 slices, thick bacon, the best you can buy

1 lb box mochiko (sweet rice flour - equivalent to 3 cups)

¾  cups of sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks of butter (1 cup) melted
1 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup whole milk

4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Additional maple syrup for drizzling

Method

Preheat oven to 400.  Place bacon on a roasting pan in an even layer.  A rack that allows the bacon to drain is ideal as you want to remove the fat. Place in oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until golden on one side and then flip bacon and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until bacon is brown and mostly crispy. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (Can be prepared the day before.  Place strips in plastic bag and refrigerate until needed.)  

*NOTE oven temperature change for baking cake.*

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13 pan well, using cooking spray or your choice of grease.

In a large bowl whisk together mochiko, sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl (or microwaveable large cup) whisk together melted butter, maple syrup, whole milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and using your strong bicep muscles whisk and blend until batter is uniform.  

Using a large knife and a stack of bacon, carefully slice small even pieces of bacon.  The smaller pieces distribute much better into the batter.  Add bacon pieces to batter and gently fold in pieces.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minute.  Slice and serve, with an additional option of a maple syrup drizzle if a bit more sweetness is desired.

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Trust me.  This actually makes perfect sense.

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Vanilla Buttermilk Bundt Cake Mistaken identity

A couple of days ago, I found myself wanting to make dinner for close family friend, who lives in the neighborhood.  The boys had been my students, the family close to me when I was young and single, and even now the boys and I still talk.  I had one of them come and pick up the food which wasnt fancy - just chili and a nice chunk of cake, but I told him, "Chili - eat it with crackers at home, and the cake is for dessert."

A couple of days later, in texting with the older son about something, he graciously thanked me for the dinner from earlier in the week.  He stated, "The chili and cornbread were both SO good. Especially the cornbread. It was like eating cupcakes sooo good!!"

I, of course, paused for a moment, thinking that his mom must have whipped up some cornbread, because I didnt recall having made any cornbread.  I replied, "Youre welcome" but the cornbread comment kind of threw me and I couldnt quite get my head around it.  Knowing the familys schedule and what they had time to do, I was pretty sure it wasnt cornbread that he had eaten with his chili.

"That was CAKE!! Not CORNBREAD!" I texted back.

"WAT?  My mom said it was cornbread so I put butter on it and ate it. No wonder it tasted like cupcakes!"

I chortled and giggled. I texted him, "Im laughing so so so so hard."

"I was like, wow, this cornbread is REALLY soft!  and she was like its because its fresh and she just made it!  LOLOL  I even TOASTED it.  This is embarrassing on so many levels."

So there you have it.  A very strange case of mistaken identity, where a large chunk of vanilla buttermilk bundt cake gets mistaken for a piece of cornbread.

Rest assured.  There is nothing cornbread-like about this cake.  This cake, as my young friend put it, is soft, tender, fluffy and much more like a cupcake.  Not cornbread.  Perhaps if you put some chili on it, itd be more like cornbread, but really, its not.

Someone else I gave a slice of this cake to likened it to the old school Sara Lee poundcake from way back from my childhood.  It definitely has that flavor and feel and its so good.  I love it because its easy to make, and my friends like it because it can be both dessert or cornbread in a pinch.

Vanilla Buttermilk Bundt Cake
Makes 10-inch bundt cake, serving 12 to 14

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Method
Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 350.  Grease and lightly flour inside of 10 inch bundt pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Using either a stand mixer (paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.  Gradually add sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 3 minutes.  Beat in eggs one at a time, beating for 30 to 40 seconds after each addition.  Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.   Add vanilla extract.  At low speed, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk. Scoop batter into pan and spread with spatula.

Bake cake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto another rack.  Place the cake, on the rack, over a baking sheet.

After cake has cooled, slice and serve, with berries, vanilla ice cream or just plain.

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Lets just all agree that this doesnt look like cornbread.

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Chocolate Quinoa Cake Mommy Jekyll and Monster Hyde

There are times I wonder if I am literally two people stuck inside a single body.  Sometimes my mind runs on two separate tracks and I have a hard time deciphering which one I really am.  These days the two separate tracks of my mind seem to be running on even more divergent paths than normal and I feel a little bit monstrous inside.

In less than two weeks, Daughters will take on their first piano competition.  Five months ago, I got it in my head that Id like for the girls to try a competition, if only to dip their feet in the pond and have an experience of practicing, polishing, and performing a piece of music to the best of their ability.  Daughters are proficient but not exceptionally gifted in music but they work hard and I thought the competition would be a good place for them to work on these skills.  Upon announcing that this is what they would do, there was mass rebellion initially, but they got behind the idea that they didnt have to win and it was much more about the experience.  They have challenged themselves through difficult pieces, practiced nominally harder than normal, and learned a lot about the extensive work that goes into preparation for the competition.  With that, they have met the almost all the original goals of the competition, even before they perform.

However, there is another side to me, just bubbling underneath the surface that wants the WIN.  I want a WINNER.  I want them to be the BEST.  I want them to crush the competition and come out on top and I want victory and I want it bad.  I want them to walk on the stage, wow the judges with their virtuosity and blow away everyone else in the field.  Its the side Im wrestling with so much these days, when I see that they arent pushing themselves further and harder and more intensely, especially frustrating to see when I look at how challenging the list of competitors are. (They are just competing against so many other students.)  I deliberately chose a music program that focuses much more on the fun of music and didnt want one that would suck the joy out of music.  However, I feel this strong desire every time I hear them practice, to suck the joy right out of their musical lives and push them to be the competitors that I think that they should be!  This is the monster side of me and the one that makes me insane.  I want them to win.  I want to be the mom that screams and yells for more, harder, better, greater, simply for the win.

The realist in me knows that a win is unlikely, simply because they arent there yet.  Daughter are young and Ive not coached or primed them for this.  Ive not made music and the playing of the piano about the destruction of their self worth to balance or hinge upon the winning or losing any given competition.  I chose music and piano for them to teach them other things such as practice, discipline, and improvement in small moments and not about the win.  I dont want them to feel that the value of their musical experience is based on the victory in an arbitrary competition where some stranger evaluates them and compares them to others.

But still.  That Monster Hyde in me grunts and says, "Lets WIN!  Lets DO IT!  Lets be FIRST PLACE!  Im going to be challenged on the performance of their duet on competition day as they need a page turner for their piece and they asked me if I would do it.  Ill be nervously up there WITH them, desiring to prime them, to address their needs, to coach them, but being unable to do so.  Ill have to have a mask on my face, hiding my emotions, my displeasure, my dismay when they miss a note or mess up, and Ill have to withold my desire to tell them what to do.  Ill be internally battling within myself as they play - the proud mom for taking on this challenge and doing their best and the monster mom who wants them to just to crush the performance and turn out a winner.

This cake pretty much represents me these next few weeks.  Its chocolately, fudgy, decadent and delicious WHILE being made from cooked quinoa.  Yes.  Keenwah.  Wipe the dumbfounded and slightly disgusted look of your face as I assure you that you cant TASTE the quinoa, but its there, just under the surface.  The cake is reminiscent of a flourless cake, rich and fudgy and super moist.  Its kind of healthy food, but it really isnt, and its better for you kind of, but really isnt with all the butter and sugar.  Its worth making even if you DO NOT have a gluten allergy, because the sinfulness of it is amazing.  Its kind of healthy, kind of sinful, both at the same time.  Two purposes existing in one cake.

Two mothers existing in one body.  Sigh.

Chocolate Quinoa Cake
Adapted from Quinoa 365
Serves 16 (two 8 inch cakes)

Ingredients
2 cups cooked quinoa, any color (cook ? cup uncooked quinoa in 1 ? cup of water)
1/3 cup milk
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon espresso powder
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
1 ½  tsp. baking powder
½  tsp. baking soda
½  tsp. salt

powdered sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 350.  Line two round 8 inch pans with parchment paper and grease well.

Combine the milk, eggs, quinoa, and espresso powder in a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth. Add the butter and continue to blend until smooth.

Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl or in a mixer. Add the contents of the blender and mix well.

Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake on the center oven rack for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan.

Once cake is fully cooled, turn out of pan.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve with berries on its own.

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Caramel Apple Cake Trying to speak tenderly

For Husband

Im bossy.  I admit it.  I spend my days bossing people around.  From the moment I wake up, to the moment I can sleep, I am bossy.  I have to tell Children what to do, Students what to do, Husband what to do, and most of the day Im telling people what I want and how I want it done.

My most commonly used bossy phrases are:

1.  Hurry up.  Were late.
2.  Put your clothes in the laundry basket.
3.  Practice piano, do your math, finish your homework.
4.  Clean your room.
5.  That thesis statement isnt good enough.  Do it again.  And again.
6.  That sentence doesnt make sense.  Write it again.
7.  That idea doesnt make sense.  Think again.
8.  Eat your dinner.
9.  Brush your teeth.
10. Hurry up.  Were late.

And since I spend a vast majority of my day bossing people around, Im bossy.  I get it.  Its just how I talk to people.

But in recent weeks, Husband has said on more than one occasion, "Can you speak to me more tenderly?"
or "Can you not use your teacher voice on me?"

The first time he said it, I brushed it off with a total snort.  The second and third time he repeated it, it gave me pause.  Speak tenderly?

I decided, after his repeated requests, to try, to just try and speak tenderly.  The first time I tried it, it sounded like a strangled dog whimpering out a phrase.   "Turn out the lights please," I garbled.  Husband threw me a weird look and asked, "What was THAT?"

"Thats me.  Speaking tenderly," I replied.

"Thats not tender.  Thats just weird," Husband said, shaking his head.

I resolved internally to be better.  Next time, I asked, "Can you please turn off your computer?" and it came out in a high pitched squeak, much like a mouse.

"Whats THAT?" Husband asked again, completely confused.

"Thats not tender either?" I asked.

Husband retorted, "Just forget it.  Youre being weird."

I decided to ask friends about speaking tenderly.  I asked a few girlfriends at dinner one night and the three of us sat thinking about which women we knew who actively spoke tenderly to their husbands.  We came up with a handful of women but the present company with me were not tender speakers either.  When I asked them to help me, both shook their heads saying, "We dont speak tenderly."

I was flummoxed for a few days, wondering how I was going to achieve this desired vocal effect, and what sort of exercises I might do in order to improve my tender talk.  It wasnt until I was deep in a conversation with a friend who was relating to me her efforts with her signficant other during his prolonged absences.  The touching, heartfelt, sweet things she went out of her way to do made a lightbulb go off in my head and I pounced on her, saying, "HEY!  You can teach me tender talk!  You do the tender talk!!"

She took a step back and looked surprised.  "What are you talking about?"

"I need to speak tenderly to my husband.  I dont know how.  Can you teach me?  Can you help me do it?  He keeps saying I sound fake."

As she is a psychotherapist, she paused and looked straight at me and said, "Whatever you say, in order to sound geniune, has to come from a geniune place of tenderness."

Uh.  I didnt know if I could do it.

She guided me through a brief exercise, asking me what made me fall in love with my husband.  (wicked humor and good listening skills.)  She asked me what were the things he did that pleased me.  (hard and diligent worker, provider for our family, committed family man) She asked me to reconnect to those first days when I fell in love.

Suddenly I almost felt like crying.  (This was supposed to be a funny post, but suddenly now its all serious...kind of.)  I wondered if I had forgotten tenderness because I had forgotten the love and affection I felt for Husband.  I dont know if forgotten is the right word, but perhaps I brushed it aside.  I thanked my friend and began to refresh my feelings towards Husband.

Now, if you ask Husband, hell probably respond that things arent much different in my tone of voice or in my tender talk.  But Ill tell you, (and hell probably read this soon) that the feelings behind my voice ARE different and Im remembering much more of the wonderful things he does when I do speak to him.  And soon, Im convinced that the voice will become more tender as the feelings behind take over the voice itself.

I think the way I want my tender talk to sound is this cake.  Sweet, complex, fluffy and comforting.  There is something about apples, cinnamon and fall that just speak the idea tender to me.  Im still chasing the tender in my voice, but I dont need to chase it in this cake.  Perhaps whenever I want something, I should just give Husband the cake and let it speak for me.

Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
Adapted from Nancie McDermott’s Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes 
Serves 16 to 24

Ingredients
Cake 
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups chopped apples (a firm apple is best -granny smith, fuji, or honeycrisp)

Brown Sugar Glaze
1 cup packed light brown sugar
6 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Method
Preheat oven to 350?F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and mix well.

Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter until the flour disappears. Add the apples; mix well. Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool.

While the cake is still hot, prepare the glaze. Combine the brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Continue cooking for 3 minutes. Spoon the hot glaze over the still warm cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving.

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