My Dad's Quick Apple Cake

My Dad & his girls.
From left to right: Riley, Olivia, Me!

Growing up with a stay-at-home Mom who's a professionally trained chef, my Dad rarely got a chance in the kitchen.  If left to his own devices, he can broil a mean Stouffer's french bread pizza, and makes a pretty good burger, but his truly creative ventures in the kitchen were pretty limited.  Two things he's known for in our family are his "Black Beans & Rice" as well as this Quick Apple Cake. When I was a kid, we lived in an awesome neighborhood that had lots of get togethers.  For pot lucks, my Dad would make this recipe, and it was always greatly enjoyed by everyone

I would say that my Dad is a foodie (although he just barely makes the cut since he would actually prefer PB&J over Lobster, which I do NOT understand).... he has an amazing palate and definitely knows and appreciates great food. This is sentimental, but true (so don't gag yourself with your wooden cooking spoon)... he's the best Dad a girl could hope for, so even if he couldn't cook worth a lick, I'd still love him. Here's his Apple Cake recipe, which I changed just a tiny bit - I made it last night and it's just delish.  The hubby and our dinner guests loved it too.  Tastes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Slice of Autumnal Apple Amazingness!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 stick  plus 1 T unsalted butter
• 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin wedges
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup plus 1 T granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup fresh apple cider
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a medium sized glass baking dish with the 1 T of butter.

Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and cook over medium low heat until golden, (this gives it a nice nutty and rich flavor... as if butter weren't rich enough already!) about 10 minutes, and remove from heat to let it cool slightly, but not solidify.

While the butter is melting, toss the apple slices with lemon juice, 1 T sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Spread the apples in the baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir the remaining sugar into the melted butter, then whisk in the milk, cider, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and add the mixture to the dry ingredients.  Whisk thoroughly to make a smooth batter.  Pour evenly over the top of the apples (don't worry, it will seep into all the nooks and crannies) and sprinkle the top with some granulated sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown & crispy.