Fruit of the tree, fruit of my labour

                “Your apple tree looks loaded!” I said to Mrs. B about two weeks ago. 

                “There are lots on the ground.  But if you want to pick some, please help yourself.  Mr. B. and I will be away, but “Maverick” can use the ladder to get up in the tree to pick all you want.” 

                “So, where are you off to? “ I said, being nosey.

                “We’re off to the Holy Land for about 10 days.  We’re leaving Sunday.” 

                “I’ll send “Maverick” over for some apples.”

                It was on Thursday, 8^th October, that I was ironing a sewing project when I realised that Mr. & Mrs. B were to leave on Sunday morning and it might be helpful to them to not worry about cooking a meal the night before they left.  So I interrupted the ironing just long enough to ring Mrs. B and invite them over for dinner on Saturday night.  They readily agreed, so we arranged a time. 

                Saturday “Maverick” helped with the house work to prepare for our guests.  The chicken quarters rested on top of celery and carrots as they cooked in the oven.  I enjoy doing everything in one dish.  I sliced up onions, diced garlic, cut up sweet bell pepper and after sautéing them added in green beans.  For dessert we had cake and ice cream. 

                When The B’s arrived for the dinner, Mrs B. handed me an orange plastic bag full of apples.  There must have been almost five pounds (2.25 kilos) of apples from their tree.   How lovely!

About to begin--Step one!

                “I’ll take care of those apples Saturday;” was my litany the week following.  Morning of the 17^th October brought out the resolution of mind and body as I set all the tools and apples on the table.  The Travel

Step two--peeling done

Channel on the television educated me with Mysteries at the Museum.  Maisy observed and begged while my fingers got sticky working through that bag of apples.  I refused to resist temptation to eat one as the room filled with the perfume of autumn fruit. 

   

             The plan was to reserve enough apples to bake a cake with and to cook the rest.  Many years ago my Dad had put cinnamon candies (called red-hots or cinnamon imperials) into some apple butter spread he was making.  It made that apple butter a beautiful colour.  I remembered that I had some of those spicy cinnamon candies in a jar far back in a kitchen cupboard.  So I hunted them out and when the apples were about half cooked, I dumped in the candies.   The benefit of that was that I didn’t have to add any extra sugar or cinnamon.  And it tasted just the way I wanted.

 The cake I wanted to make required about 1.5 cups of chopped/grated apple.  This is my own recipe for the autumn cake.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 ½ cups corn oil

3 cups sugar

1 ½ cups grated apple

1 ½ cups grated carrot

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup nuts (optional)

Method:

1.       Preheat oven to 350ºF/175ºC.  Adjust for fan assisted ovens.

2.       Butter and flour a 9” x 13” cake dish or three round 9” cake pans and set to side.

3.       Shift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  (I usually sift it twice just to get it well mixed.)

4.       Beat eggs until light yellow.

5.       Add oil mix well.

6.       Add sugar and mix about one minute.

7.       Add in carrots and apples and mix well. 

8.       Once wet ingredients are well blended, add in the dry ingredient mixture a bit at a time, letting it incorporate before adding more.

9.       Add in nuts and mix about 1 minute.

10.   Pour into prepared cake tins/dish.

11.   Bake about 1 ½ hours for a 9 x 13 pan or 50 minutes to one hour in the three cake pans.  Cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

·         Notes:

·          This is a large recipe, so I might make a tiny cake in a ceramic coffee cup as well as the 9” x 13” dish.

·         This recipe also works to bake in three bread tins. 

·          Sometimes, depending on the oven, it can take a bit longer to bake.

·          I love warm spice, so I put lots in; but the amount of spices can be adjusted according to taste. 

·         It can be served with or without icing.

·         Three cups of apple or three cups of carrots can be used instead of 1 ½ cups of each. 

 

 The cake was appreciated at church yesterday (18th October) after the service during coffee time.  Don't worry--"Maverick" had a smaller version for himself. 

I pray you are enjoying this wonderful time of harvest too.

Serving Jesus, Author of our faith,

"Lady Helene"