A reader recently commented that she loved my Mom’s Banana Sour Cream Cake and was hoping I would post more of her cakes, specifically her apple cake for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
As I am in the midst of cooking and baking for the holidays I decided to post this now for those looking for a delicious holiday cake…my Mom’s Viennese Apple Cake. Layers of apples and cinnamon are suspended in a moist cake fragrant with the scent of orange juice and vanilla.
As I mentioned before my mother could produce a prize worthy cake faster than anyone I know and with less drama. Her recipes were simple and to the point, and for the most part she omitted any details of technique.
To show her “less is more attitude” I am posting Mom’s Viennese Apple Cake below just as she had given it to me.
I will aslo give some additional pointers as some guidance especially for the more inexperienced bakers.
And for all those novice bakers who become discouraged at times my best advice is if you like to bake keep baking, even if at times you are disappointed with the result.
It’s in the doing that we learn by our mistakes and gain the confidence and skill to produce that prize worthy cake.
I’m sure in her past my mom must have had a cake that fell or a meringue that flopped, but by the time I came along she had learned her lessons well…I knew her only as the remarkable baker she had become…and that should be an inspiration for us all!
Mom’s Viennese Apple Cake
Ingredients:
3 c. flour
2c. sugar
4 eggs
3 t. baking powder
4 apples, sliced thin, separate
2 and ½ t. vanilla
1 c. oil
½ c. orange juice
Mix together:
2 t. cinnamon
5 T. sugar
Directions:
Grease and flour 10inch tube pan. Put in half batter, layer apples, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Add rest of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 and ½ hours.
Some additions to the above recipe:
4-5 apples, good for baking such as Braeburn, Macintosh, Rome, peeled and sliced thin
I added ½ teaspoon salt to dry ingredients
I increased the cinn-sugar mixture to 2-3 t. cinnamon and ½ c sugar (you may not need it all)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 10inch tube pan.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the sliced apples and let sit.
Combine the flour, salt and baking powder together. Set aside.
In an electric mixer beat the eggs and sugar well.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the oil, beginning and ending with the flour.
Add the orange juice, then the vanilla extract. Beat til smooth and thoroughly mixed.
Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Top with 1/3 of the apple slices. Sprinkle with extra cinn-sugar mixture if you want.
Repeat with 2 more layers ending with a layer of apples on top. Sprinkle any extra cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 70 to 90 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before removing carefully to cool completely on a wire rack.
This cake may be wrapped well after completely cooled and stored in the freezer if you want to bake it in advance.