In celebration of the Pens win (3 in a row now!!! I made this a while ago. Go Pens!), I made Fresh Apple Cake. Its from my Grandma Kennedy’s fav cookbook. She called it “The Green Cookbook” and never by its real name. I dug it out looking for something yeasty. But this recipe called out to me. The cookbook cracks me up because the recipes are written so simply. No nonsense. (And very little direction.) The book is only 5×7 in. but some pages have 3 recipes per page! You have to love a cookbook that calls for oil, shortening or whiskey in 1/4 of the recipes. Ha! And it also considers grits and velveeta baked in a dish, a casserole. Love it!
This cake was absolutely scrumptious. Not one crumb went to waste. I think it needed to cook a few more minutes more, it was a bit gummy in one spot. Obviously not the spot I toothpick tested, bugger. But that did not deter us from scarfing it down. The apple was sweet and tender. I loved the walnuts and was glad that was all I had in the pantry. I think I will toast them first next time. And the cranberries added a welcomed tartness. This is a definite keeper for me. Even with all the oil, which made me wince when I read the recipe, I will bake this cake again and again.
** Okay, its been almost 2 weeks since I first wrote this up. And I have baked it twice now. I did cook it an extra 8 minutes the 2nd time. I kept the cranberries and the walnuts. Just toasted the walnuts up beforehand. This cake is awesome. Its so moist, sweet and comforting. And it keeps for days. Its the perfect fall cake.
I decided I would enter this in Retro Recipe Challenge#9. Its not often I cook from older cookbooks, and this cake was sooooo good. Please go check out the details of the event!
Fresh Apple Cake (Adapted from Huntsville Heritage Cookbook, 1967)
1 1/2 cups salad oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts bc thats what I had on hand.)
3 cups peeled chopped apples
* I also added 1/2 cup dried cranberries that were not in the recipe.
Glaze
1 cup dark brown sugar (I used light brown, because thats what I had)
1 stick margarine (I used butter)
1/4 cup milk
Mix first 4 ingredients. Add sifted flour, soda and salt. Fold in pecans and apples. Pour into greased tube pan; bake 1 hour at 350. Combine glaze ingredients; boil for one minute. Pour hot glaze over hot cake; leave in pan for 2 hours. Turn cake out and upright.
slush 
Yum!! I love apple cakes. And your changes sound perfect.
i’ll have to make this for my fiance soon. He is all about apples AND cake. we just moved to oregon, and i’m finally seeing what all the fuss about fall is!
Thanks for offering this contribution to RRC9. With the apples piling up on my counter from my weekly CSA delivery, I’m looking forward to trying this!
I’m always looking for another apple cake recipe. Can’t wait to try this one. Isn’t it funny how huge amounts of oil were considered the “healthy” option in the 1970s? My favorite carrot cake recipe has a full cup of oil in it . . . it’s sort of hard to pour it into the bowl in cold blood.
Mmmmm, it does look delicious! I bet some (or all) of the oil could be swapped for unsweetened apple sauce to reduce the fat content — if desired. 😉
The Green Cookbook, eh? Well, I’ll tell ya…your photo looks so yummy and the recipe sounds so delicious…mmm…do you think my husband would notice if I made the cake instead of that apple pie he’s been begging for?
Looks perfect. I am definitely going to try to make this, and I have a few questions: What type of apples did you use? How large/small was the “chop?” What brand of oil did you use? Do you think some quantity of the oil could be switched for butter? Thanks for sharing…
My grandmother had this cookbook, then passed it on to my mother, and one day will be mine. This recipe has been a family favorite for 40 years, and I’m glad to see it on the internet for all to use.