Directions: |
Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 x 13" cake pan. Sift flour with baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Beat egg and oil, add sugar and stir quickly into the flour mixture. Mix in apples and walnuts. Spread mixture into the prepared cake pan; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Loosen cake from sides and bottom and turn out onto a cake plate immediately (or serve from pan).
Serve plain or with ice cream, caramel or butterscotch sauce, and whipped cream. |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: Recipe from Marie Van Els-Lemmens, mother of Johanna Lemmens-Van De Voort, grandmother of Carol Van De Voort-Goodman. I grew up in Michigan, the daughter and granddaughter of Dutch immigrants. For as long as I can remember, we always had apple cake at family gatherings. Somehow, since apple pie is so popular in Michigan’s apple country, I assumed the cake was a personal twist on the more traditional apple pie. And, since my mother never liked to cook, I figured the apple cake was just easier to make and bake than trying to make pie dough. It was not until 2016 when I traveled to the village of Oploo, the Netherlands, the land of Lemmens and Van De Voorts, that I discovered that in the Netherlands, the apple cake (or appel koek as they call it) is queen. It’s sold in every bakery and featured on every café menu, sometimes being the only sweet option listed. Everyone does it slightly differently, but one thing’s for certain: it never looks like a North American apple pie. When I went to the coffee house in the village of Oploo, I was immediately served warm apple cake. Serving it warm is essential to the experience. And while I just lost my mother this May, when I bit into the apple cake, I felt like I was home again.
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