Comfortable Cakes

When I was in high school I'd amaze my friends and astound my teachers by wearing 4 inch heels. They were tall, black and spiky, and I loved them. Putting on a pair of outrageous shoes is the quickest way I know to feeling tall and sexy.

Unfortunately, I no longer wear those kind of shoes. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that most high-heeled shoes don't like me. Between having finicky knees, extremely high arches, and feet shaped like bricks, it's an exercise in pain to wear anything besides my everyday Dansko's or my workout shoes.

Cakes are kind of like shoes. There are the extravagant, over-the-top ones that you see on Ace of Cakes or on the Sunday Sweets section of Cake Wrecks. Sure, they turn heads and impress people, but I doubt that I'll ever attempt anything like that. They take waaaaaay too much time and effort for something that will be eaten in a matter of minutes.

Pump by Christian Louboutin, Cake by Marina Sousa of Just Cake

Then there are the comfy, everyday shoes of the cake world. The kind that you can serve to friends straight from the pan. Easy to make, bakes in just one pan, not pretentious or fancy, but oh so tasty. This is one of those cakes. You won't win awards with it, but you might well win hearts.

Apple Comfort Cake

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cake:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (you can sub out 1 cup of the a.p. flour with white whole wheat)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups chopped apples (good choices are Granny Smith, Jonagold, or Braeburn)


1- Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

2- In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and mix to blend. Set aside.

3- In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the cake batter ingredients except the apples. Mix until well blended. Fold in the apples.

4- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the topping mixture.

5- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperature. A blop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is rarely turned down.