If I ever attain great wealth, there will be signs.

And one of them is the Williams Sonoma caramel apple. This year, it sells for $35.95 plus shipping.

For one apple.

I am too cheap to spring for a $36 apple. But someday…maybe.

Apples are abundant this time of year, central to every farm stand and harvest festival.

Apples are symbols of fertility, knowledge, and immortality depending on whose folklore you’re reading.

And with apple season, my mom and I begin taking about making the apple cake. This conversation starts in August and ends when one of us makes the cake. We really want this cake. Neither of us wants to make it. It’s kind of a pain in the ass and weighs about as much as a small car. But it’s a breakfast, lunch, and dinner cake. You will want to eat this three times a day until it’s gone.

As written by my mom and kept safely in my email under the heading “Rice Veracruz.” My notes are in italics. Welcome to the family.

AUNT CELIA’S GERMAN APPLE CAKE

2 cups white sugar

¾ cup shortening (not oil)

2 large eggs (I use three eggs.)

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla (plus a splash if you like vanilla)

4-5 apples, peeled and chopped

1 cup chopped walnuts (and maybe a little more, or you can leave them out)

 

Topping:

1 cube melted butter

2 tablespoons flour (I always forget the flour. It’s fine.)

8 tablespoons brown sugar

 

In a very large bowl, cream together sugar, shortening and eggs.  In a separate bowl, whisk flour, soda, cinnamon and salt until well blended.  Add dry mixture to creamed ingredients, add vanilla and stir together (this is more like a thick dough than a batter.  I’m a very careless measurer and I never sift anything.)  Add apples and nuts and stir to evenly distribute.  Lightly press into well greased 11” x 13” baking pan.

Melt butter in microwave.  Stir in flour and brown sugar until well blended.  Pour mixture over top of cake.  There’s never enough to cover completely, but it gives the cake a kind of cobbled look.

Bake cake at 375 approximately 35-45 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and edges pull from side of pan.  This is a hard cake to test because the apples keep it very moist, but pay special attention to the center are of the cake to make sure it gets done. (This sometimes takes well over an hour and you have to cover it with foil so the top doesn’t burn. It all depends on how much moisture your apples release as the cake bakes.)

Any type of apple will do.  Red Delicious make a very mild flavored cake.  Granny Smiths are tart and terrific – but whatever is readily available is okay.