Apple Snack Cake

I come from a line of women who are great cooks. All the women in my family can cook up cream gravy in a New York minute. I grew up helping my mom cook, but mostly I remember peeling vegetables. It almost seemed like a rite of passage. Potatoes, carrots, shucking corn etc. I'm sure I'll put my daughter through the same ritual. My mom learned to cook from her mom and my grandmother learned to cook from her mom. It's my great-grandmother's recipe box that I inherited. I've been meaning to attempt to make an effort to organize the box, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe one day but not anytime soon.

This evening I decided to sample one of her recipes. We have a pile of granny smith apples in our kitchen that doesn't seem to be depleting quick enough. I used the most ripe apples in this recipe. (Frugalness is something else I've inherited from the women in my family.) As I was making this cake I thought about the advantages I have in a normal kitchen of today. Non-stick spray, Kitchen-Aid mixer and a dishwasher. I love to cook and I hope to keep the tradition alive in my family. I think this will probably be a good start.

Apple Snack Cake

1/4 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 C. chopped pecans (I left these out.)

2 C. peeled finely chopped apples

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beat until light and fluffy.

Add egg, beat well.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices; add to creamed mixture, stirring well.

Stir in pecans and apples, spoon batter into 8 inch square pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cook cake in pan and and top with sifted powdered sugar if desired.