This is an apple and pear cake with the link to the recipe after the post
From Denny: Apple cake is one of those first cakes a beginner baker learns to make because it is so tasty for breakfast, a weekend brunch or an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee or tea. At our house we like fruit desserts like fruit pies and fruit cakes.
Also, on the health side, when you eat fruit in a sugary dessert the fruit helps minimize the effects of sugar causing that roller coaster ride for the blood sugar that can leave you depleted of energy a few hours later. So, if you like sweets - but have some issues breaking away from too much sugar in your diet - this fruit in a sugary dessert helps you work your way out of it. If you don't have any issues with too much sugar in your diet, just enjoy! :)
When I make apple cake in the summer I like to add 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg to the cinnamon. When I make this cake in the fall I add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves to the cinnamon. Nutmeg is lighter and fresher to the senses just perfect for the spring and summer. Cloves as a spice is mysterious and warm in sensation.
It is an extremely strong spice so don't add more as the spice can take over the flavor of a dish. Using cloves as a background hint does wonders for more than baked goods. I use it in marinara and spaghetti sauces and even when I make oatmeal for breakfast. Here in Louisiana we use ground cloves in our seafood boil seasonings too. There is more to the clove spice than just studded in the fat to bake a ham! It's sweetness is versatile when used with a very light hand.
In my ongoing effort to promote small business over Big Business I'm featuring this Virgina bed and breakfast inn today. Considering that the Fourth of July is this weekend, what could be more patriotic than to remember the earliest history of America? This inn dates back to 1740! It once stood on the American frontier and has been restored to 12 guest rooms for gracious comfortable country living.
Restored inn from Colonial times on the Shenandoah River in Virginia
From the website of The Inn at Narrow Passage: Our historic 1740 Shenandoah Valley bed and breakfast is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the beauty and history of the Valley of this special location between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Alleghenies.
Once a haven against Indian attacks on the Virginia frontier and later Stonewall Jackson’s headquarters during the Valley Campaign of 1862, our Shenandoah Valley inn now welcomes travelers looking for comfortable lodging and friendly hospitality.
On Route 11 (the Old Valley Turnpike), only two miles from Interstate 81 at Woodstock, our Virginia Bed & Breakfast inn has a real country atmosphere. We are located five private acres along the Shenandoah River. The Inn offers 12 guest rooms, a well-equipped meeting room for small executive retreats, many common areas, and lovely grounds to host your wedding.
*** Recognized for "Excellence in Preservation 2007" by the Shenandoah Preservation League
*** Selected by National Geographic Traveler as one of 150 hotels and inns in North America that "Celebrate their Sense of Place" (April, 2008)
This is an apple and pear cake with the link to the recipe after the post
Shenandoah Apple Cake
The Inn at Narrow Passage
Ellen and Ed Markel, owners and innkeepers
50 Chapman Landing Road (P.O. Box 608)
Woodstock, Virginia 22664
Email: innkeeper@narrowpassage.com
Phone: 540-459-8000 ~ Toll Free: 800-459-8002
Shenandoah Apple Cake
Ingredients:
5 apples, pared, cored, and thinly sliced
5 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. cinnamon
4 eggs
2 c.sugar
3 c. flour
1 c. oil
3 tsp. baking powder
2 + 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Juice of one orange (1/4 c.)
Directions:
Mix first three ingredients together and set aside.
Beat eggs with sugar, add oil, flour, baking powder, vanilla, and orange juice.
Beginning with batter, alternate layers in a greased and floured ring pan, ending with batter.
Save some apples to decorate the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr. and 10 min. Cool on a wire rack and remove from pan. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving, if desired.
*** See Also from Smitten Kitchen: Mom's Apple Cake
*** See Also: Here's what you do when you only have 2 apples and some pears to make the same cake, go here.
*** See Also: Muffin Monday and Cake Tuesday recipe links
*** Photo of apple and pear cake by joyocity @ flickr
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