Ma's Easy Apple Cake

If Ma did not have an apple pie sitting on her sideboard then she had an apple cake. I could always count on good eats from her. I loved going to her house and helping myself to generous servings of her baked goods. Sometimes I ate several generous servings! Ma said I was not "fleshy enough"so she was happy to support my gluttony. This cake is very simple to bake and makes a great comfort food.
You would think I could leave well enough alone! But, no! I had extra pears in my kitchen and wondered just how they might bake up in Ma's Apple Cake. Well... sometimes my bright ideas are just that, bright ideas. But from time to time I finish my baking with the statement, "I shouldna' oughta' done that."Such was the case when I substituted pears for apples. I did not adequately compensate for the extra moisture in the pears so the cake turned out gooey. It tasted great but the texture was not particularly good. I ate a couple of pieces and took the rest to work. The chow hounds made quick work of it but a few had the gall to comment on the gooey-ness. They were right; it was too gooey.
I decided to leave her good recipe alone for now. Here it is as Ma made it. I hope you enjoy it. This cake has been a family favorite for years.

Ma's Easy Apple Cake

1½ Cups oil

2 cups sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups chopped, fresh apples

1 cup toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 300°.

In a large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, and eggs.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to oil, sugar, egg mixture. Mix well.

Add vanilla. Stir in apples and toasted walnuts.

Pour batter into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Mom's topping:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

½ cup brown sugar

Mix all topping ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 3 minutes. Pour over cooled cake.