Easy Apple Cake

I know its fall when I start craving apple cake, and a Friday delivery of Pennsyltucky homegrown apples sealed the deal: it was time to make one. I'm not the world's greatest baker (I like to play with ingredient amounts and usually mess up the chemistry of things in the process), but this is just about the easiest cake recipe I've ever seen. I discovered the basic recipe in one of my hometown's Bicentennial cookbooks (hooray for Farm Women Group #8, Halifax, PA), but of course I zazzed up the spices...

I made a cake this weekend, but as the leftovers were in Beacon, I made another last night. Other than forgetting to pick up nuts and the excitement of a little worm jumping out of one of the apples, it was quick, easy, and painless.

Easy Apple Cake

• 3 medium tart apples, diced
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• a dash of salt
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl--the moisture from the apples will help produce a thick batter. Spread into a 9x7–inch baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes.