Southern Apple Cake

Fresh Apple Cake with Pecans and Brown Sugar Glaze

For the Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups finely chopped apples
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
For the Glaze:
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons evaporated milk, or half and half, or milk

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan, or two 8- or 9-inch cake pans, round or square. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, soda, and salt, and stir with a fork to mix everything together well.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk, a wooden spoon, or an electric mixer at low speed until pale yellow and foamy. Add the oil and the vanilla, and beat them together well. Stir in the sugar-flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix the batter, stopping as soon as the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts, stir to mix them into the batter until fairly uniform, and scrape the batter into the prepared pans.
3. Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown, springs back when touched lightly near the center, and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.
4. Place the cake on a wire cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel. Make the glaze while the cake is hot. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Spoon the glaze all over the hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely, and serve in squares right from the pan.

Makes one 9 x 13-inch cake

From Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations. Chronicle Books 2007. Copyright Nancie McDermott. All rights reserved.