Raleigh is a lovely place, but it's not known for its apple orchards, so they truck them in from other places, like Michigan and Pennsylvania. You know those Pace commercials where the cowboys have near-coronaries after they discover their salsa is made in New York City? That's how I feel about the apples I get here. I'm sure they're swell and all, but I like Maine apples and that's that. Mom, if you're reading this, send me a peck or two, would you?Maybe my apple bias is why I wasn't all that thrilled with my latest attempt in the kitchen, Fresh Apple Cake.
I can't blame the recipe source: the King Arthur blog. Those bakers know what they are doing for sure. I think it was probably me. I used too small a pan. I overbaked. My apples weren't cut uniformly. I substituted apple juice concentrate for the boiled cider. And there just wasn't all the apple goodness I was hoping for.
That being said, I think I should give it another try. Everyone seemed to have great success with it except for me. Any suggestions on perking it up a little?
Have you checked out the apple stands at the outdoor section of the farmers market downtown? They're all NC apples; we just did a tasting to name the family favorite, but we liked so many of them (honeycrisp, stayman, mutsu) that we couldn't choose. There's also some great fresh cider there to put in a cake (which I think needs a glaze -- maybe a touch of brown sugar, cinnamon, cream and cider cooked together, then drizzled on after?)
ReplyDeleteGlad you think Raleigh's a lovely place!