AMISH GERMAN APPLE CAKE

Last week when the Mexican Train group met, Friend Sue brought a bucket of apples from her tree for all of us to share. They were so huge. How huge, do you ask? So huge that it only took one apple to make the 2 cups, peeled and diced that this recipe called for. (I actually used the whole apple which was 2-1/2 cups, but I figured that would be okay.)

I used it to make the German Apple Cake recipe I found in my from Amish and Mennonite kitchens cookbook. I added Amish to the title of this post because I have already shared a delicious but different recipe for German Apple Cake before.

Even though it didn't have a lot of sugar in it, it does have the topping on it which was more sugar. I have read a number of times that in most recipe you could reduce the required amounts of sugar by 25% without noticing any difference in the taste of the finished dish. I have done this several times and thought my result was sweet enough. Sue made a Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake for some of us once and omitted the granulated sugar completely....it also called for brown sugar. We couldn't believe it when she told us. It was totally sweet enough. I hate to think what it would have tasted like with both. I also used coconut instead of nuts for the topping for a change.

I told the volunteers at Hillcrest Thrift Shop I was anxious to hear what they thought. Bob said (with a laugh), "So we are guinea pigs for you." I reminded him they are my "test kitchen". Everyone agreed I could test desserts on them any time I wanted to. Needless to say, they loved it. I did, too.

GERMAN APPLE CAKE

1/2       cup shortening
1           cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
1/2       cup brown sugar (I used 1/3 cup)
2          eggs
2-1/4    cups flour
2          teaspoons cinnamon
2          teaspoons baking soda
1           cup sour milk (1 tablespoon lemon juice with 1 cup of milk)
2          cups raw apples, peeled, and diced

TOPPING

1/2       cup brown sugar
1/4       cup sugar
1/2       teaspoon cinnamon
1/2       cup chopped nuts or coconut (I did use the coconut)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan.

Beat shortening until smooth.

Add sugars and eggs and beat until fluffy.

Mix flour and cinnamon together.

Combine the baking soda and sour milk. (I mixed the lemon juice with the milk at the beginning so that the lemon juice had time to sour the milk.)

Add the dry ingredients and the milk alternately to the creamed mixture. (I start with dry and then add half of the milk. repeat ending with dry ingredients.)

When well blended, fold in apples.

Pour and spread evenly in pan.

Combine the topping ingreidents 

and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.