It is the time of year when I start seeing apples everywhere. The grocery store has apples of all colors. The farmer’s markets have bushels of apples.

I don’t know about you, but I like apples. Apples have an appeal that goes beyond the flavor. Apples bring to mind images of fall and family activities. Many families make a day of going to pick apples from the orchard and then spend another day making pies and applesauce.

I am partial to my mom’s apple pie, and since I do not come close to matching it, I do not even try. I do however, like to try apple recipes to find new ways to use the fruit.

My sister makes a wonderful applesauce by chunking up the apples, adding about a cup of brown sugar and two tablespoons cinnamon to every dozen apples. Then she cooks it all over low heat for several hours, until it reaches the desired consistency.

We like our applesauce chunky, so we start with large pieces and simmer for about 4 hours in a crock pot. If you like a smoother applesauce, dice your apples into small bits and stir frequently when cooking.

Easy Apple Cake

Easy Apple Cake

1 (18 oz) yellow cake mix
1 cup applesauce
1 large egg
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 apple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, mix the applesauce, egg and cake mix with a wooden spoon until completed mixed together. In a small bowl, dice the apple and mix with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss the apple bits until completely coated with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Prepare two loaf pans with a light coating of cooking oil. Spread a quarter of the cake batter in each loaf pan. Sprinkle the apple and sugar mixture over the cake batter. Top the apples with the remaining cake batter, a quarter in each pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Apple Cake Serving with Caramel Topping

Make it a meal: This makes a great dessert, topped with some ice cream it is a real hit.

Approximate Nutritional Value per serving: Servings per Recipe: 12, Calories: 238, Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 300mg, Total Carbs: 46g, Protein: 3g.

Variations: Create a caramel apple treat by drizzling some caramel ice cream topping over a slice of the cake.

This cake makes a wonderful breakfast cake, so save the extra pieces to go with your morning coffee! If you want to make small, easy to store cakes, simply place the batter in a muffin tin to bake. The muffin sized cakes are a perfect single serving!

Muffins freeze and thaw quickly, so you can portion out a week’s worth of breakfasts, one muffin at a time. This cake can be frozen by wrapping in waxed paper, and placing inside a large plastic zip top bag. The cake keeps well for up to two months.

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