Ida Brown's Fresh Apple Cake, Maybe

There was a sweet little old lady in my parent's church in Choctaw, Arkansas named Ida Brown. I've got some stories about Mrs. Brown, but for now we will pay homeage to her Fresh Apple Cake.

If you live anywhere near apple trees you will know that they are falling off by the bushels.  So like every practical Missourian I am finding every which way I can to make the most of the overabundance of apples this year. I have given more advice and shared more apple recipes this year than I can remember. There is a potluck at church Sunday and I can guarantee that the Ida Brown's Fresh Apple Cake I am taking will not be the only apple offering.

I also should give a disclaimer. No...this cake will not give you chest hair (sorry, Josiah) nor will it cause shortness of breath (unless you eat too much of it and then you are on your own). The disclaimer is that Ida Brown's actual recipe is locked away in my parent's storage building while they are in the midst of renovating their farm house. This is kind of sort of from memory...kind of sort of.  But how can you go wrong with apples, sugar, eggs and oil? Something scrumptious is bound to come from it.

Ida Brown's Fresh Apple Cake

5 apple - peeled, cored and chopped

2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
5 tsp. brown sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and white sugar for 15 minutes on high speed with an electric mixer. Add oil and blend in. Add flour mixture and mix well. Add vanilla. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour batter into 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over cake. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.