German Apple Cake

There are a few recipes that I always go to when I need to make a good dessert that travels well.  This is one of those recipes.  Because I use my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler Corer Slicer machine, this cake is easy to assemble.  It's not pretty to look at, but the flavor more than makes up for it.

I made this cake to send to a reception following a funeral and forgot to take a picture once I had it frosted.  I also didn't get a photo of it once it was cut, sorry.  More than 20 years ago, the little church I was attending was putting on their first ladies' luncheon and we decided to share our favorite recipes with those in attendance.  This recipe was shared by Cheri Walters, our pastor's wife and my friend.  It has been a hit every time I've made it over the years.

This cake is unusual in that it doesn't begin by creaming butter and sugar together.  After I preheat the oven to 350°F, I begin by combining the oil and eggs in a large bowl.

Using a hand mixer, I beat the eggs and oil until foamy.

Then I add the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cinnamon.

These ingredients need to be mixed in my hand, as the batter will be thick, almost like a cookie dough in consistency.  I like to use my Pampered Chef Mix 'N Scraper (I call it a spoontula!) because it works like a spoon while acting like a rubber spatula to keep the sides of the bowl scraped.  It's one of my favorite utensils!

After peeling, coring and slicing my apples using my Pampered Chef tool, I add them to the batter.  I've found that 1 regular medium size Granny Smith apple equals 1 cup of sliced apple for this recipe.

Using my spoontula, I fold the apples into the batter, trying not to break too many of the apples.

I transfer this mixture to a greased 9- x 13-inch baking dish (in this case an aluminum pan so nobody had to worry about returning my pan) and place it in the oven to bake at 350°F for 55 minutes.  After that, I check the middle for doneness by sticking a cake tester in it, before removing it from the oven.  Sometimes it needs an additional 5 minutes baking time.

I place the cake on a cooling rack to cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting.

To make the frosting, I combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl using a hand mixer.

To that, I add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition.

The last thing I add is the vanilla, beating until smooth.  I then spread the frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake.  It's ready to take to a pot luck meal or any other event.  Depending on how big the pieces are cut, it serves a minimum of 15 people.  This cake is a great way to end any meal!  Enjoy!

German Apple Cake

1 cup vegetable oil

3 small or 2 large eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups thinly sliced green apples (Granny Smith or Pippin)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In  large bowl, beat oil and eggs with a mixer until foamy.  Add sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and vanilla; stir by hand.  Batter will be thick, almost like cookie dough in consistency.  Fold in apples carefully.  Transfer to a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  Bake at 350°F for 55 minutes, or until done in the middle.  Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients until smooth.  Spread on cooled cake.

Snickers Caramel Apple Dessert

I know this dish doesn't look like much in the picture, but it's actually quite good.  Most people like to make recipes with pumpkin in the fall, but I also think of apples this time of year.  I've also always loved caramel apples, so that's why this dessert is a winner with me!

My friend, Lori Duncan, found this recipe on Pinterest and served it at a luncheon she held for a few of her friends.  It was originally called a salad, but I think it should be categorized as a dessert, so I changed the name.  It originated at chef-in-training.com.

Following the original recipe, in a large bowl, I combined the Cool Whip, dry pudding mix and milk using a whisk.  I think the Cool Whip got broken down a bit too much, so next time, I will combine the pudding mix with the milk first, then fold in the Cool Whip.

This is where a good, sharp knife is a necessity.  I cut the Snickers bars in half lengthwise, then cut the two pieces in thin slices.  This was a little more work than I expected it to be as a Snickers bar is quite dense.

I added the Snickers bar pieces to the pudding mixture and folded them together.

After washing the red apples, I cut them into pieces that were approximately the same size as the Snickers bars.  I think next time I will cut them a bit larger.

I added them to the mixture and folded them in to combine.

The original recipe called for apples, stating that the author had used red apples.  I followed Lori's suggestion and used three each of green and red apples to add a little tartness.  After cutting the green apples in the same manner, I folded them into the mix.

I transferred the dessert to a serving bowl and drizzled on the caramel topping.  When serving this dessert, I had some caramel sauce on the side for those who got the dessert from the bottom of the bowl where there was no caramel.  Enjoy!

Snickers Caramel Apple Dessert

6 regular size Snickers bars

6 apples (I used 3 red and 3 green)

1 (5 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding

1/2 cup milk

1 tub (12 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

In a large bowl, combine pudding and milk; fold in Cool Whip.  Cut Snickers bars in half lengthwise and then into small slices; add to pudding mix.  Core and cut apples into bite-size pieces; fold into pudding mix.  Drizzle with caramel.  

Apple Raisin Muffins and Cinnamon Butter

When we were invited with a group of friends to spend the weekend at the home of friends who had moved away, we each took a meal that we were in charge of.  I got breakfast on the Sunday morning.  I  thought a lot about what I could make that was great, but didn't take much time to prepare or clean up from because we were all going to church afterward.  I finally decided on these mini muffins because all the work was done at home!  They were a huge hit that weekend and as the same group of friends attends our annual beach trip weekend, I now make these muffins each year to take along.

I originally saw Paula Deen make these muffins on one of her shows, so I went on line to get the recipe.  On the show, she ate them plain and they're terrific that way, but I "Paula Deen" them by serving them with homemade cinnamon butter (recipe included below)!  The cinnamon butter can be used straight from the refrigerator if it is being applied to something hot like toast, but for use on these muffins, I bring it to room temperature before using it.  The only down side to this recipe is that you have to have plenty of time to prepare them.  The prep time in itself isn't long, but there are 2 steps in the process with a lot of cooling time needed in between!  Don't get me wrong -- the time investment is totally worth it!

The first step is to grate the apples.  I give them a good wash and then grate them with the peel on.  I have found it easiest to grate around the apple first to get through the peel, then grate it vertically the rest of the way.

As you can see from the photo above, I grate it right down to the core.  Usually, 2 medium apples yield the 2 cups needed for this recipe.

The easiest way to grate nutmeg, I've found is to use my microplane.  Holding the handle, I rest the tip on my surface and run the nutmeg along the side until I get the amount I need.  It's a very handy kitchen tool that can also be used to zest lemons, limes and oranges or grate ginger or parmesan cheese!

In a large saucepan, I place the butter, sugar, raisins, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Don't worry if the apples have begun to darken, they are perfectly fine and they won't even be distinguishable by the time this mixture is cooked!  I turn the heat on high and once the butter begins to melt, I can stir the ingredients to combine them.  

Once this mixture begins to boil, I turn off the heat and remove the pan to let it cool.  This is when the waiting begins.  Depending on the time of year and how warm it is in your kitchen, this could take hours!  I usually do this part in the morning, so I can bake the muffins in the afternoon.  The mixture does need to cool completely before the next step.

I use muffin tin liners in my mini muffin pan, but if I'm out, the tin can also be greased.  One friend is allergic to nuts, so I use different liners for 6 of them to distinguish the nut-free muffins just for him!

In a large bowl, I combine the flour and baking soda.  Then I add the cooled apple and raisin mixture.

This makes a fairly stiff dough.

Using my Pampered Chef medium scoop, I fill the 6 liners with the nut-free dough.

Then I add in the pecans and mix to combine.  I fill the rest of the muffin tin and it's ready to go into the oven.  Of course, the nuts can be added before the apple/raisin mixture if you don't have any nut allergies to worry about.

These muffins don't rise much, so they should be filled to the top.  Using the scoop, it looks as though the dough comes above the top of the tin, but this amount is perfect.

You can see in the photo above, that they rise a bit and are a perfect golden brown when they come out of the oven.  I let them cool a couple of minutes before removing them from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  I store them in Tupperware with wax paper separating the layers when taking them to the beach.  This recipe makes 5 dozen, so if you don't plan to use them all at once, they freeze very well.

 

We love to eat these tasty little treats at breakfast time and they are especially good warm (they can be heated in the microwave), and they're great as a snack, but we're used to having them on our beach trip weekend as we visit with very good, long-time friends!  Enjoy!

Apple Raisin Muffins

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

2 cups grated apples

2 cups raisins

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons baking soda

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Combine the water, sugar, apples, raisins, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.  Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  In a large bowl, stir the baking soda and nuts into the flour.  Add the cooled mixture to the bowl and stir until blended.  Grease miniature muffin tins or line with paper liners.  Fill muffin tins with batter to the top.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F.  These muffins are great served warm or at room temperature and they freeze well.

Cinnamon Butter

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

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Add cinnamon; combine thoroughly.  Store in refrigerator.