We are hangin (trying to sound like a true valley girl) out in California waiting for cooler weather to arrive in Texas before going back. Randy is going ahead and buying our burial plots here as he doesn’t think that will ever happen. Anyhow, going thrierough a friends stack of cookbooks I just found this and am now craving apple cake. See what you think.
Cake
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs,room temp
1 teas vanilla
1 teas salt
1 teas,baking soda
2 teas baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
3 cups apples,chopped
Topping
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Vanilla Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tables flour
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
2 teas vanilla
For cake: beat oil,sugar,eggs and vanilla together. Blend in dry ingredients. Stir in apples
Press into a lightly oiled 13×9 pan.
For topping:
Combine all ingredients and sprinkle over cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes depending on your oven. For vanilla sauce:
blend sugar and flour together in a saucepan. Whisk in whipping cream. Add butter and cook over medium heat, whisking often, until thickened. Add vanilla and stir. Serve cake warm with vanilla sauce.

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temp

2 1/2 cups sugar,divided

4 extra large eggs at room temperature

1/3 cup grated orange zest (about 6 oranges)

3 cups flour

1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas baking soda

1 teas kosher salt

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice,divided

3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature

1 teas vanilla

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons orange juice ( freshly squeezed if possible)

Heat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour to 8.5 x 4 and I have my 2 1/2 inch loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Cream the butter and 2 cups of the granulated sugar in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about five minutes or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium beat in the eggs one at a time and the orange zest.

In a large bowl sift together the flour,baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a different bowl combine 1/4 cup of the orange juice,buttermilk and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilkmixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans,smooth the tops and bake for about 45_55 min or until cake tests done.

When the cakes bake, cook the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with the remaining 1/2 cup orange juice and a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes. Take them out of the pans and place them on a baking rack set over a tray. Spoon the orange syrup over the cakes and allow the cakes to cool completely . To glaze combined the powdered sugar and orange juice and a bowl mixing with a wire whisk until smooth . Add a few more drops of juice if necessary to make it pour more easily. Poor over-the-top of cakes  and allow the cakes to dry; wrap well and store in the refrigerator.

Today my sweet husband turns a year older. As I stated in a previous post, it angers me that we eat the same foods, yet he is healthy as a horse. He just returned from getting pictures taken of his heart to find any plaque that has accumulated. Any number under 5 is good. His number was 1.35….HOW DOES THIS WORK? I’m sure if I got up the nerve to go have the same test, my number would be 10, (but hey, I will take being a number 10 anywhere I could get it, even if it means plaque build up in my heart).

It seems that the older he gets, the healthier he gets. The older I get, well….let’s not go there.

He requested his traditional birthday dinner of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, hot rolls and German Chocolate Cake. He will sit and digest several plates of this food, along with the cake and ice cream, wake up, stand on the scales and probably find that he has lost a pound or two. I will wake up and find that not only will I not fit in anything that is in my closet, but will certainly have added 25 points to my cholesterol count.

At least he apologizes now for being so healthy. During the first 10 years of our marriage, he would come in the door smiling, after his yearly check up and throw down  in front of me,all the Dr reports, telling how great all his numbers were, “yelling, “boo ha….beat these numbers!!!” It was then than I began to change my will and begin to add a stick of melted butter to his morning “health shake”. After all, I can’t let him outlive me long enough to find some little 70 yr old to begin enjoying senior aquatic swimming with.

So besides our birthday celebration with family coming over this evening, we will sit and plan our next adventure for this coming year. We have done this traditionally in the month of July, since both of our birthdays are in the same month. Lord willing, we will be going to Italy for a few months hoping to experience “life in Europe”. It will be so exciting to spend our next birthdays there. Since I won’t be able to get my daily Dr Pepper or bake, maybe by the time we get back to the states, my numbers will have fallen into at least the high normal range, and we will have a little more in common.  Not that I have any hostility towards this very healthy precious husband of mine, but I have already planned his tombstone to read, “Here lies Randy, with no plaque in his heart, his cholesterol count shows good on the chart. There is no cellulite to be found, so then why in the world is he laying here beneath the ground?”

Happy Birthday to the best husband in the world, even if your numbers make mine look bad.

1 cup butter

8 -1 oz squares semi sweet chocolate

1 cup sugar

5 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream. Soften

6 (2.07 oz) Snickers candy bars,chopped and divided

3/4 cup chocolate sauce

garnish: chocolate sauce and caramel sauce

In a large bowl, combine butter and chocolate. Microwave at high in 32nd intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Whisk in sugar. Add eggs, what time whisking well after each addition.

Whisk in flour until smooth. Pour batter into greased 10 inch spring form pan.

Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

In a large bowl combine ice cream and half of chopped snicker bars. Spread chocolate sauce evenly over cake layer.

Spread ice cream mixture over chocolate sauce. Cover and freeze for four hours or until firm. Drizzle cake with chocolate sauce and caramel sauce if desired. Sprinkle with remaining chopped snicker bars

Thank you Paladine for yet another great summer delicious ice cream treat.

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