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Saying Grace By Marcelle Bienvenue On the Fridays after Thanksgiving, my mother had a ritual. She would take stock of her pantry, checking to see if she had what she needed to make fudge, pralines, cookies and cakes. If she had to restock any items, we set off for the grocery store to get the ingredients. When we returned home and put up our purchases, she made a pot of coffee while we waited for Mama’s half-sister, Cina (also known as Aunt Grace or Nanny), who would come to deliver an apple cake, which we enjoyed with our demitasse coffee. Cina made several cakes during the holidays and delivered them to her friends and family members. Since Cina passed on her recipes for pralines and apple cakes, I continue making these for Christmas giving. The recipe does not stipulate what variety of apples — it calls only for three cups, peeled and chopped. When I was a youngster, we only had two apples: red and green. We didn’t call them Red Delicious or Granny Smith. These days, there are so many kinds of apples — Fuji, Pink Lady, Gala, Braeburn and Golden Delicious. Oh my, so many choices. This year, I’m going to use my current favorite, Honey Crisps, as I find them ideal for baking. The cake batter is easily put together, and once the pans are shoved into the oven, the house is filled with the wonderful aroma of warm cinnamon and apples — so much better than aromatic candles.

3 cups Honey Crisp apples (or your favorite variety, cored, peeled and chopped) 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped 1 tsp. salt

Add the oil, eggs and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Divide batter equally into the prepared loaf pans, or into a large rectangular pan, spreading the mixture evenly. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Slice cooled cake and serve with whipped cream or ice cream. ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT To store: After the cakes are completely cooled, they can be wrapped and stored in airtight containers in the freezer for about two weeks. When ready to serve, defrost, then warm in the oven before slicing to serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

11/4 cups vegetable oil 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 teaspoon vanilla

HOW TO PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil two 9x5-inch loaf pans, or one 9x13-inch baking dish. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, apples, baking soda, cinnamon, nuts and salt. Mix together.

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THE RECIPE: Aunt Grace’s Apple Cake Makes 2 loaf cakes or one 9x13 cake

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 2 cups sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour

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