CookingWithGeorgeAndFriends.com

Week 121 Recipe

GUSSY'S APPLE CAKE

Lori, from Shelbyville, Kentucky shared this recipe that was given to her from an amazingly spry woman from her church, Gussy. She said she first tasted the famous “apple cake” at a summer festival and it was AWESOME. She says, 'try it, you'll be hooked!” Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS CAKE: • 3 large eggs • 1 cup cooking oil (Gussy uses Wesson) • 2 cups sugar • 2 cups Self-rising flour • 1 tsp cinnamon • 1 tsp nutmeg • 3 cups apples, peeled, cored and   chopped (appx 4 med apples) • ½ cup raisins • 1 tsp vanilla • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans   (optional) CARAMEL ICING: • 2 cups brown sugar • 1 cup whipping cream • ¼ cup real butter (½ stick)

PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 350 deg F. In mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar and eggs. Beat until smooth. Add flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Coat raisins and nuts with ¼ cup flour. Fold remaining ingredients into batter. Pour into well greased 9 X 13 pan or 2 9½ inch round pans. Bake for 45 minutes (either style pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Prepare icing while cake is cooling as follows: Cook all ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat to “soft ball” (see hints below). Beat with a mixer and spread onto the cake. HINTS: If you have a candy thermometer, there should be a level for “soft ball”. If you don't have one of these, you can test the icing by dropping a small amount onto wax paper and when you can form a small ball with the icing using your spoon, it is ready. I had problems getting the consistency to the icing, possibly because cooked icings are difficult to do in high humidity such as we have in Texas. I poured it evenly over the cake and it made the cake a little “sticky” but it was a huge hit with the people I served it to anyway.