Gam’s Cocoa Apple Cake

Gam’s Cocoa Apple CakeSeason’s Greetings
For most of the country, the Labor Day weekend signals the beginning of cooler temperatures and spiced flavors of fall (regardless of what the calendar says is the actual start of the season). Those of us here in California know that, despite the recent cooler weather, it is not yet time to guzzle pumpkin spice or bring the sweaters out of storage. Because, dear friends, the hottest days of the year are actually ahead of us. For Californians, fall doesn’t really start until around Halloween.

For the record, I had a chai latte this morning. Why should you care? Because chai spices are basically the gateway to pumpkin spice. I’m not quite ready to go there yet! But, I found myself in a bit of a fall mood brought on by the cooler temps this morning as well as the apple picking we did over the weekend. So, I compromised.

The apple picking happened because my brother in law’s apple tree runneth over at the moment and it is just WAY too much for one man no matter how many neighborhood squirrels there are. I think we picked at least 40 pounds of apples…maybe more which means now I have to figure out what to do with all of them. Upon arrival at home, I immediately threw some in my pressure cooker and made applesauce. That was a no-brainer. My daughter made a couple of Dutch Apple pies which the kids have been enjoying for breakfast. Of course, we have been eating the apples straight as snacks. And, the kids have been putting them in their lunches with a little peanut butter. But, I have to figure out what to do with the rest. Thus, I have been going through my cookbooks and re-examining some of my favorite recipes.

One recipe that jumped out at me was my grandmother’s Cocoa Apple Cake. It is one of two that I always loved growing up. The second one was an applesauce cake that she made with her homemade applesauce. (I’m still trying to find it.) The chocolate in this bundt cake recipe makes it popular with the young as well as the old while the apples keep it nice and moist. It’s a delicious addition to a lunch box or as a snack for the PTA meeting.

Gam’s Cocoa Apple Cake
Yields 10 to 12 Servings

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 cup nuts, chopped
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces (3 ounces)
2 cups apples, raw grated (about 2 large)
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, butter, and water until fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice in a separate bowl and beat the dry mixture into the sugar mixture. Stir in the nuts, chocolate, apples, and vanilla.

Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared tube pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes on a rack. Then, with a long spatula, gently loosen the cake from the pan and turn it out onto a serving plate to cool completely.

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