Apple Coffee Cake

 "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." Robert H. Schuller

 Apples , apples everywhere. Tis the season. 

 FRESH APPLE/CRANBERRY COFFEE CAKE (2014)

  (Came across a version , decided to tweak it a bit….fabulous thing. Disappears so fast, you may have to make another…)

 IN SMALL BOWL COMBINE: 1 tsp cinnamon, scant 1/3 cup brown sugar

 IN LARGER BOWL COMBINE: ½ cup soft margarine, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 ½ tsp vanilla, ½ cup orange juice or milk,1 ¾ tsp baking powder, 1 ½ cups flour ( can be half whole wheat if you like), handful of dried cranberries and a handful of pecans ( if you wish).

 "The goldenrod is yellow, The corn is turning brown, The trees in apple orchards With fruit are bending down."
                            - Helen Hunt Jackson

 Do not overbeat. Just combine . Stare out the window and watch the leaves swirl....

 HAVE READY: 3 large apples grated.

 I think the original recipe asked for 1 apple, but better with more. The more the merrier....

 So chop apples with abandon...maybe add in a pear  if you have them on hand.

 "Why not upset the apple cart? If you don't, the apples will rot anyway." Frank A. Clark

 PUT TOGETHER: Spread half batter in greased   loafpan, ( or double recipe and put into 9x13 like I did) ,sprinkle with half the cinnamon/br sugar mix, and all of the grated apples. 

 Spread rest of batter on top. Sprinkle with rest of cinnamon/br sugar mixture. You can even toss a few dried cranberries and pecans on top. But it’s not necessary.

 If you do NOT have vanilla....REAL vanilla....you can use the same amount of maple syrup in the recipe.  Does the same thing.  Actually I like it better. And a LARGE bottle of maple syrup goes a long way.

 BAKE: 350 F Oven for about 35 minutes. Be sure to test centre with a sharp knife to see if it has baked through.

 If not , add a few more minutes. Do not underbake. Let cool for a bit, Turn out to a board and slice away. (Not your fingers.....the cake.  Yum. Not the fingers...the cake.)

 Really a treat. Great for company, great with coffee, tea, wine, soup, stew……….the possibilities are endless.

" We know there is gravity because apples fall from trees. We can observe gravity in daily life. If we could throw an apple to the edge of the universe, we would observe it accelerating."
     - Adam Riess

 Photographs 2017