Most of us think of apples as an American fruit, but apples as we know them originated in an area between Europe and Asia called the Caucasus region. Romans brought the fruit to Europe, where the apple’s popularity grew when cooks discovered sugar. Immigrating European settlers brought apples to North America. They were well received, probably because their natural sweetness was so different from the tart native crab apple.
Apples became so popular that they even impacted our language, with sayings such as “apple of my eye,” “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” and “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch.” Interestingly, the term “upper crust” derives from early America and the apple pie. Because of the scarcity of cooking ingredients, poor folks made only the bottom crust when baking an apple pie. Rich households could afford both a top and bottom crust, and those families became known as the upper crust.
Whether you’re snacking on your preferred variety of apple or cooking up one of the following recipes, you will appreciate the flavor and texture of America’s favorite fruit. (JANINE WASHLE)
Serves 8
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
4 eggs
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1½ cups buttermilk
1 cup apple butter
Zest of ½ fresh orange
Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut parchment paper circles to fit in the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans. Spray pans with a nonstick baking spray, then place parchment in pan bottoms.
2. Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add all four eggs and beat until incorporated (mixture will look grainy), about three minutes. Scrape sides and bottom.
3. Sift together dry ingredients. To the butter and sugar mixture, add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in apple butter and zest.
4. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until pale brown and top springs back when touched. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, peel parchment from bottoms, and cool completely on cake racks.
5. Place one cake top side down on a cake plate. Spread with a generous amount of frosting on top. Add the second layer and frost sides and top, swirling decoratively with remaining frosting. Refrigerate leftovers.
Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
4-5 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1. Combine brown sugar, butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until well mixed. Beat in cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar cup by cup until frosting is of a spreadable consistency. Stir in orange zest.
Recipe provided by Janine Washle of Kay’s Cafe in Clarkson and prepared at Sullivan University by Ann Currie.