Knobby Apple Cake

My mom often baked this old-fashioned cake recipe and I've found it in several old community cookbooks, often with different names (such as Ozark Pudding) but the same ingredient list.  It's a a fruity dessert (always a plus) and is a great place to use apples a bit past their prime. It's also considerably less work than a pie and less intimidating.

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Grandma Betty's Knobby Apple Cake

Source: my mother

Yield:  8X8 pan maybe doubled to yield a 9X13

Altitude adjustments for 4300-5000 above sea level are in parentheses.

On chopping apples: I leave the skin on (but apples can be peeled) and chop quite small, about 1/4 inch dice but my mom used a larger dice, at least half inch or more. Both work.

3 T butter

1 c sugar (reduce by 1 T for altitude)

1 egg

2 teas vanilla

1/2 teas cinnamon

1/4 teas freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teas salt

1 teas baking soda (minus 1/8 to 1/4 teas)

1 c flour (increase by 1 1/2 T)

3 c diced apples

1/2 c chopped nuts

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients but don't beat. The batter will be quite thick. Add the apples and nuts and stir. Place in greased cake pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is good with ice cream, whipped cream, or creme anglaise (my favorite). My mother used this sauce:

Lemon Sauce

1/2 c sugar

1 T cornstarch

1/8 teas nutmeg

1/8 teas salt

1 c boiling water

1 1/2 T lemon juice

2 T butter

Cook first five ingredients until thick.  Add lemon juice and butter. Her note pointed out: "This sauce doesn't reheat well." So if you are serving only a couple of people, you might want to half the recipe--use a pinch when you divide 1/8 teas.