Aunt Dubby's Apple Cake

My mom is an amazing chef and baker. She can literally come up with something from nothing. Seriously, dinnertime is a coveted event in our house...people always want to eat over and have my mom's cooking. Definitely something that I am going to miss when I move out (I'm sure I'll be stealing plenty of leftovers though!).

As I've gotten older, I've realized that I should probably start learning my mom's recipes (she can remember so many from memory!), so that I too can carry on the ever so special trait-my great-grandmother Nana Molly is where my mom learned all of her tricks-and what better time to learn than the Jewish holidays?

One of my all-time favorite desserts is an apple cake that my mom only makes during the high holidays (Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur). When I was away at school, I used to wait by the mailbox for my special package of apple cake. It's really that good. This particular recipe is actually from my dad's side of the family, which my mom quickly adopted, and I'm so glad that my great-aunt Dubby is such an amazing baker too! With apple picking season in full gear, this is the perfect recipe to try out!

Ingredients:

10 inch greased tube pan

6 granny smith apples

1 tbs cinnamon

3 1/4 cups of flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

4 eggs slightly beaten

1 cup oil

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tbs vanilla

1. Peel and slice the apples and put in a large mixing bowl. Add cinnamon and sugar. Mix and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Create a well in the center of the mixture.

3. In a third bowl, mix together eggs, oil, orange juice, and vanilla. Add to the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix well.

4. Pour half of the mixture into the pan and then top with 1/2 of the apple mixture. Layer 1/3 of the rest of the batter on top of the apples, and then spread the rest of the apples on top. Cover the apples with the remaining batter. Bake at 375* for 1 hour and 15 minutes.