Apple Streusel Bundt Cake

I still had some apples I needed to use up from our apple picking adventure with our three grandsons, so I volunteered to bring an apple dessert to our monthly Dining for Women meeting. I couldn’t find a recipe that I liked online. My biggest problem with most of them was the amount of oil, butter, or shortening used in the batter. Many of them had up to a cup and a half of fat in them which is totally unnecessary since apples provide so much moisture anyway. At any rate, this is what I came up with and it only has 1/2 cup of shortening in it! If you’re wanting an apple cake that isn’t a bundt cake, take a look at this Roman Apple Cake recipe.

Ingredients
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. whole wheat flour
2 C. white flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. ground cloves
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 C. shortening
3 eggs
1 C. milk
2 t. vanilla
3 C. peeled, cored, and chopped apples (about 3-4 medium)

1. Beat together the shortening, sugar, and eggs until creamy. Add the milk and vanilla.
2. In another bowl mix together the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Add in two or three batches to the egg mixture and mix until well blended.
3. Fold in the chopped apples.
4. Meanwhile, grease and flour a bundt pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees and make the streusel topping.

Topping
Crumble together:
1 1/2 T. melted butter
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 T. flour
3/4 C. chopped pecans
1/3 C. instant oatmeal or rolled oats

5. Spoon half the batter into the bundt cake pan.
6. Sprinkle half the topping on the batter.

Middle Layer of Streusel

7. Spoon the rest of the batter over the streusel layer and sprinkle the rest of the topping over the top of the batter.
8. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Let cool for 15 minutes then remove from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Serves 12-16

Peanut Butter Apple Crisp

We had the pleasure of going apple picking with our three grandsons on a perfect fall day! What fun!!! We got to ride on a hay wagon pulled by a John Deere, which all three of my them just loved. We picked golden delicious and Rome apples using those interesting apple pickers on a long pole. While walking from tree to tree I came upon a stand of milkweed that we had to stop and examine.

Carter, Tristan, and Tyler checking out the milkweed

After picking all those apples I just had to make some apple crisp. I adapted a recipe from The More-With-Less Cookbook and just love the addition of peanut butter. It really adds a richness to the crisp topping. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients
6 C. peeled and sliced apples (5-6 medium apples)
2 T. flour
1/2 C. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
2 T. water
3/4 C. rolled oats
1/4 t. salt
3 T. butter
3 T. peanut butter
1/3 C. + 3 T. packed brown sugar

1. Grease a large casserole dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, 1/4 t. salt, and water in a large bowl. Place in the greased casserole dish.
3. Cut together with a pastry blender (or your fingers) the rolled oats, 1/4 t. salt, butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the apple mixture.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the crisp is simmering around the edges and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
Serves 10-12

In keeping with the abundance of blueberries this time of year and the fact that I had apples I needed to use up, I came up with this pie. It turned out to be a fabulous combination! One of the guests to whom it was served exclaimed, “Wow, this is the best pie I’ve ever had!” Now, I don’t know if you’ll feel that strongly about it, but I’m sure sure you’ll like it!

Ingredients

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust
4 C. sliced, peeled Granny Smith apples (3 large)
2 C. fresh blueberries
3/4 C. granulated sugar
1/4 C. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 T. lemon juice

Topping
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. oatmeal
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/3 C. butter, softened
1/3 C. sliced almonds

1. Place foil on the bottom oven rack to catch drips. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place one pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan as directed on box for a one-crust pie.
3. In a large bowl, mix the apples, blueberries, granulated sugar, 1/4 C. flour, cinnamon and lemon juice.; set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the oatmeal, 1/2 C. flour, nutmeg, butter, and sliced almonds with a fork until crumbly.
5. Spoon the fruit filling into the pie crust.

Unbaked Pie Before Adding Topping

6. Sprinkle the oatmeal mixture over the top of the fruit mixture.

Ready to go in the oven

7. Place pie on middle oven rack over the foil; Bake 50-70 minutes or until apples are tender and edge of pie is bubbling. After 20 minutes of baking, loosely cover the entire pie with a piece of foil to prevent excessive browning. Cool 2 hours. Serve warm or cold.

Serves 8

Fresh out of the oven

Caramel Apple Dip

Caramel and apples . . . the perfect combination! Add a layer of cream cheese and crushed Heath toffee bars and apple slices and ginger snaps for dipping and you have heaven!!! We have my sister-in-law, Connie, to thank for this fabulously easy recipe. I made this for the Ohio State – Iowa tailgate and it was a hit with the 50 or so people with whom we shared plenty of food and fun. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 carton pre-made caramel dip (found in the produce section)
1 – 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 bag Heath Bar topping or crushed Heath Bars
sliced apples
ginger snaps

Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of a pie plate. Spread the caramel dip on top of the cream cheese and top with the Heath Bar topping. Serve with sliced apples and ginger snaps.

Roman Apple Cake

Pampered Chef chopper w/chopped apples

Ingredients & Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine in mixing bowl:
1 C. sugar
2 1/4 C. flour
1/4 t. salt
3/8 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cloves
1 t. cinnamon
Beat in:
1/3 C. shortening
2 eggs
2/3 C. milk
1 1/2 t. vanilla
Add:
3 C. raw apples, pared, cored, and chopped
Mix well. Spread in a greased and floured 9 X 13 inch cake pan. Cover with the topping below.
Topping
Crumble together:
1 1/2 T. melted butter
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 T. flour
3/4 C. chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 C. rolled oats

Bake 35-40 minutes. Serves 12-16