It’s a very versatile and forgiving recipe because I only had 5 eggs. Someone had eggs and tomatoes for breakfast. Then I could only find 5 apples in the crisper. That same someone loves apples too. Finally, I wanted to make two cakes, one for us and one for the nursing home. I forged ahead and you know what? They both were perfect. It was missing one egg yolk and a few slices of apple but nobody could tell. I’m eager to give this a try with another fruit crisp. Maybe raspberry!
Have you met Mary Marshall before? I don’t think we were ever properly introduced but she lives in the South so we have that in common because I lived in Tennessee for many years. According to her Facebook page, she moves around a lot but she did live in Kennebunk, Maine and then she went to St. Francis College, in Biddeford, Maine. Once anyone has lived in Maine, we’re all family, I suspect.
That has nothing to do with who she is, I was just trying to make myself important because I’d lived in the same sorts of places she has.
Mary is the sort of cook we all want to be like. She cooks healthy food straight from the garden or pasture, shies away from anything that has been near antibiotics or growth hormones and she cans everything she can get her hands on. Then as if that’s not enough, she has grandchildren she adores and recently took them to the Haunted Happenings event. She’s the sort of person you’d love to have living next door to you. (not that my neighbors aren’t wonderful)
After I made the cake I posted it on Facebook and asked Mary if she minded if I reposted this on my blog if I linked to hers. Always gracious, she said I could. So please, visit Mary’s Cooking With Mary and Friends and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. It’s the least we can do to say thank you for this wonderful cake idea.
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks (farm fresh is best)
- 1 tablespoon. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon. baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups plain/all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 6 apples, peeled, sliced, cored and cut into chunks
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon plain/all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Spray a 9-x-13 inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Cut butter into pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add brown sugar, flour, oats, salt and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter (or your hands), mix together until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, and mix until fully combined after each addition.
- Add vanilla, mix in baking powder, salt and half of the flour and mix until blended well.
- Add half of the milk and mix.
- Add the remaining 1½ cups of flour and mix until combined.
- Pour in the remaining ¾ cup milk and mix until a smooth batter forms.
- Pour into the prepared baking pan.
- Place cut apple chunks into a medium bowl and add brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Toss to coat apples evenly. Pour lemon juice on top and stir thoroughly.
- Arrange apples onto the cake batter in the pan in an even layer. Sprinkle crisp topping over the apples and place in the oven.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and cake appears to be set.
- Remove from the oven and let cake cool for at least 1 hour. Cut into slices and dust with confectioner's sugar, if desired.