While I have the misfortune of being born just one week before Christmas, Mark has it even worse. His birthday is four days after the biggest gift-giving holiday of the year, and it’s easy to overlook it.
Actually, it’s not easy for me. Knowing what it’s like to have a December birthday, I make an extra effort every year. (As opposed to his father who just may have completely forgotten his son’s big day last year. Just saying.)
Mark’s mom, though, always worked hard to make his birthday special and completely separate from Christmas. One of the ways she did that was baking him his favorite cake. Unfortunately, my previous attempts to follow her recipe haven’t been totally successful.
As a matter of fact, I decided last year that a mix making a decent replica of my mother-in-law’s apple cake was good enough. This year, though, I’ve been in a baking mood, so I gave it another shot. And while I still love Tastefully Simple’s apple cake mix, I have to admit it: Homemade apple cake is WAY better!
For the first time, I used Crisco in a recipe. I wonder if perhaps I tried to substitute vegetable oil the last time I tried to make this cake. It could be that made the difference.
By the way, I actually prefer the cake without the frosting. I love sweet and don’t often find myself saying, “Oh, it’s just too sweet!” But this time, I did. I want my apple cake straight up with a milk chaser!
Marilyn’s Apple Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups finely chopped apples
Icing
3 oz. cream cheese
2 oz. butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the sugar, shortening and eggs together. Add dry ingredients. The batter will be dry – very dry (see photo below). Add chopped apples. (You can also shred the apples if you prefer smaller pieces.) Spread into greased 9×13 pan. Bake for one hour. Frost the cooled cake.
What special dish do you like to eat (or make) on your birthday? And for you married ladies, have you ever used one of your mother-in-law’s recipes? Successfully?
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My birthday is right on Christmas so I never had a choice about what I would get to have for my birthday dinner. It was always turkey ! I would have preferred pizza or lasagna. For the first few years I was married I used to make something non-traditional for Christmas dinner just because it was my birthday and I wanted to be different. Now I am happy to have whatever, as long as I don’t have to cook it :-)
Okay, right ON Christmas beats the 18th or the 29th! I agree, though – there’s definitely a point when ANYTHING is good as long as somebody else makes it!
I make several of my MIL’s recipes that my hubby loves:
Pumpkin Cookies
Cheesy Meatloaf
Pineapple Casserole
Broccoli Salad
And I actually make several others as well. I assume they measure up to my MIL making them, because my hubby has never told me otherwise! It makes me happy to serve him these favorites, knowing there are several of “my” recipes he loves (MORE).
Oh, I need to go look at your cheesy meatloaf now. Mark’s mom made that and I’ve never tried it…
Oh, also, I LOVE the fact that Mark loves my lasagna way more than his mom’s. :)
I always request Angel Food Cake with carmelized condensed milk, whipped cream, and crushed toffee. My grandma passed the recipe down to my mom and it is hands down my favorite. Alas, I live in a different state from my parents now so if I want this cake for my birthday, I’ll have to make it myself.
Yum! That sounds so good!!
Okay, first of all—I’m so glad we’ve connected here since we’re both in KC and both Blissdom goers! Yay!!
Secondly—this looks incredible. I’m drooling. My hubs’ birthday is 1/24. He’s a carrot cake lover. Have any good homemade recipes for that? I am not the best at cooking/baking. Many a kitchen disaster at our house. This apple cake sounds right up MY alley, though. I’ve never used Crisco in a recipe, either. It’s always kinda skeeved me out, but maybe it did make the difference?
Happy New Year!
Erin @ The Mother Load
@erinlynn76
I have to admit…carrot cake is not my favorite, so I’ve never tried a recipe. If I have to make it, I just buy a box mix. And the box mix is really good, so why mess with that? (Also – yes – Crisco is gross. But I’m pretty sure it made this cake, so who am I to judge?)
Apples–I love apples–and in cake–with cream cheese frosting–can’t get better than that! Can you eat this for breakfast:) And…without my Mother-in-law–I wouldn’t be able to cook anything!
Well, apples are fruit, so surely apple cake for breakfast is a good choice! Right???
I have always LOVE apple cake! This one looks marvelous!
I just wanted to pass the word along that I am hosting a NEW linky party called Fun w/Food Friday.
I would LOVE for you to come by and link up some of your delicious posts!
http://www.paisleypassions.blogspot.com
Have a great weekend!!!
I make my MIL’s carrot cake for hubby on most birthdays and it is a great basic recipe. Her homemade chicken and noodles not so much. She used to kill the chicken, boil the feathers off, boil it forever then make homemade noodles. I do make the homemade noodles but the chicken I buy in the store. Great recipe.
What? You buy your chicken in a store? KIDDING. Just read my post about drumsticks and you’ll know that I would never kill my own chicken!
Oh yum this looks so delicious! I’m with you – I’d probably prefer it without the icing. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I usually scrape icing off cakes anyways! hehe
J’s mom takes feeding her family VERY seriously, so much so that she absolutely refuses to let anybody else do it. We’ve tried a few times to ask for recipes, but instead of sharing she just makes them herself to share instead.
That’s how my mother-in-law was, too. My husband and I actually joked before I made this cake that she’d probably left out an essential ingredient in her recipe, just so nobody else could make HER cake!
Love this! Would like to invite you over to Fat Camp Friday @ Mangoes and Chutney. The linky is up all weekend and one blogger from the linky party is featured every Wednesday. http://www.mangoesandchutney.com/2011/01/fat-camp-friday-10-blackened-tilapia.html