Apple Spice cake

Product Alert: On September 10 this product became available in stores. I see lots of possibilities with Fall cookie/cake decorating. Remember the candy corn turkeys posted last year?

This is the remnants of what once some 40 years ago was Betty Crocker's Dinner for Two  Cookbook. The front cover is missing, pages have been written on, smudged, tattered and torn. But one thing I know for sure is the apple pie recipe is on page 59 and chili recipe is on 101 and where to find the penuche recipe below. All these recipes remain part of my all time favorites. Perhaps you have a cookbook such as this tucked away on a shelf?? 

Yikes! hard to believe this book is still in print. This is what it looked like when I first bought it.

Apple Spice Cake
cook's note: try using 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 1-1/2 white flour for healthier ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups canola oil or regular vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, one at a time.
• 3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2-1/2 tsp.ground cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice 
• 3-4 medium apples peeled, cored and chopped (use a tart apple like Granny or Haralson)
• 2-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees 
• Coat a 9 x 13-in baking pan with nonstick cooking spray 
• Cream together light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and oil 
• Beat in eggs one at a time
• Add to your dry ingredients the wet ingredients and mix well
• Fold in apples and nuts 
• Bake for about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
• If using a bundt pan may need to increase cooking time to 45 minutes 

Ingredients for Penuche Frosting (Betty Crocker's  Dinner for Two Cookbook)

• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 3-5 TB milk
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar (sifted)

Directions for frosting

For best results use a whisk blending sugar and butter

• Melt butter in saucepan
• Stir in brown sugar
• Boil and stir over low heat 2 min.
• Stir in milk
• Bring to boil, stirring constantly
• Stir in confectioner's sugar-may need to use a mixer to get all lumps out 
• Additional milk can be stirred in a few drops at a time to get the correct spreading consistency

"Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs
of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much
more strength to know when to let go and then do it."

-- Ann Landers