*shhhhhh* This recipe is a secret! And blessings jar tradition.

Hi, everybody! I first posted this recipe in October 2012 and now it's time for a repost and an update!

Here we go:
A few years ago I went to a reception and there were these brownies that defied description. But I'll try... They were chocolate chunk, with some kind of cream cheese inside, and dark chocolate layer half way through. Within minutes, we were all asking each other "who brought those brownies"????

(These are not the brownies.)

 We were in for a terrible shock. The woman who had brought the brownies, couldn't give us the recipe... because her son was a dessert chef visiting from LA and she had begged him to make her some. He was bound by contract not to sell the brownies, or to share the recipe. NO KIDDING!

 Now, I have a friend who also defies description. (Ha!) She recently moved to Montana, so by the time she reads this, I'll be safe. Or at least be getting a head start. I think she said it took her 14 hours to drive back here. Time for me to get a good lock on the door.

  Because I'm about to share the SECRET RECIPE for her German apple cake. This is a revenge post. She used to torment me with the cake, and then say she couldn't give me the deets because her German Baptist relatives would put out a hit on her.

  But one day- one glorious day- I got THIS in my Christmas card. Now, I know it's right out of a magazine, but you can't see are the tiny comments written in there. This is where the gold is for the beginner baker. Like getting that old textbook with all the shortcuts written in the margins!

Edna is always up for a daring adventure so we got out our ingredients. (Of course, if my friend brings the goon squad, I'm not really sure I can run with Edna. But I'll put her in the Red Flyer wagon. That would work...)

So, 3 eggs
       2 cups sugar
        1 cup oil (here there's a little note that says 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup butter melted)
        1 tsp vanilla extract ( maple!)
   
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda (3/4 tsp says the note)
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups chopped tart apple (note says two large, which was about 3 cups)
 and 3/4 cup pecans (note says one cup)

And cream cheese frosting, which we didn't put on. not because it wasn't good, but because we didn't really need it. It was perfect!!

Edna did really well with the whole butter/oil/ egg mess. Ew. She's a toughie.


(BEFORE WE GO ON, LET ME JUST HUG BLOGGER FOR A SECOND. I PRESSED THE WRONG BUTTON AND EVERYTHING WAS GONE... BUT NOT! IT WAS SAVED! WHEEEEE! BACK TO OUR POST...)

Mmmmm, we get apples by the box right from the packing shed. $10 for an assorted box. Gala, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Golden, and Fuji.  If you can stand the sight of semis and forklifts and skid steers roaring past you, it's a great way to save money. And since I have four little boys, it's more like a field trip than grocery shopping.

       Folding in the 3/4 cups pecans and the apples. The batter is very thick. Fewer apples and more nuts make it a very dense batter.

Mmmmmmm. 350 for 55 minutes and you get this! Perfection!

 

 While it cooked, Edna was reminiscing all about her fling with a Canadian Mountie. I think it was the maple extract that got her going. It was a wonderful story, full of rugged men and horses and wooden crates full of straw (surprisngly comfy, says she). But then he was gone so much, she felt neglected. Just left spinning her beaters for days on end. It was time to move on.

So, I'm setting the table for guests because I know how the internet works. As soon as the news gets out that Edna and I have spilled the famous apple cake recipe, there will be a knock at the door.

  Look at that! Who could resist? We'll get them loaded up on tea and cake and make a break for the back door. If you see a middle aged woman chugging down the sidewalk with a gleaming Sunshine Mixmaster in a battered Red Flyer wagon, for heaven's sake, stop and give me a ride. And if you're really nice, I just might tell you the other recipe I've been SWORN not to reveal.

  Until next time... I hope.

UPDATE: Well, it's been two years and my friend has not yet carried through on her threat so I thought I'd push my luck... and post this again! Plus, she's in town visiting, so I'll be sure to accidentally open this post while she's over for coffee. (Kidding! I'm not that brave.)

A tradition we have in my family is our "blessings jar". We decorate the jar with the year, and then put it on a shelf in plain sight. Through the year, we write wonderful things that have happened and put them in the jar.  They can be as big as a new baby, or new book, or as small (but equally important) as losing a first tooth, potty training, or learning to write a name for the first time. On New Year's Eve, we open the jar and read them all aloud. It's amazing the beautiful blessings that have happened... and that we sometimes forget.

(Oh, funny! I just realized after posting this picture... the same friend of the secret recipe cake appears in this picture. Well, her Christmas 2014 gift, does. The babushka nesting dolls to the left are actually measuring cups.  Isn't that a clever idea? )

Hoping everyone had a wonderful end of the year! I'm loving all the visits from friends near and far, and being able to hug relatives that have not been in the area for years. It's a blessed time and I pray everyone is enjoying the beginning of 2015!