Having spent Rosh Hoshanah in an OKC chapel last week, I thought I’d treat my Jewish spouse to a family New Year’s favorite, Mama Elaine’s Apple Cake. We picked apples from our tree and off I went to bake up a storm. Happily, the entire enterprise resulted in the bisection of only one worm on the cutting board. Aiiieeeeeeeeeeeeee.

This is a terrific fall cake and the perfect metaphor for a sweet New Year. (N.B. I cut the sugar in half from the following recipe. And I’m partial to the Vietnamese Cinnamon from the Savory Spice Shop. Makes you tingle all over!)

Enjoy!

Apple Cake

Ingredients

4 large apples (I used eight of our whimpy ones)

4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 tsp baking powder

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups flour

1/2 cup orange juice

Instructions

Slice apples and combine first three ingredients and set aside.

Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, baking powder and oil together until smooth. Gradually add flour and orange juice.

Layer greased cake pan with a layer of batter-apples-batter-apples.

Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.