Elsa M. Jacobson

Elsa exclaims, “Wow! Edna Lewis has a real winner here.” She describes this apple cake as rich, sweet, unpretentious, yet undeniably classy. Its versatility shines through, making it suitable for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea, or as a decadent dessert. Elsa suggests elevating it further for dessert with a scoop of French vanilla or dulce de leche ice cream. She also notes that any leftover heavy cream from the glaze can be whipped and served as a delightful dollop on top.

She praised the cake’s moistness and generous apple content. While she used Pink Lady apples that were slightly past their prime, she believes many varieties would work, with Granny Smith being her preferred choice if buying fresh. Elsa found the caramel glaze to be a lovely finishing touch, though she also affirmed the cake is delicious warm from the oven on its own. Despite the recipe suggesting 12 servings, she humorously noted that a “smaller piece would surely suffice” given its richness, yet observed that slices were often cut in half and quickly devoured!

A true pecan enthusiast, Elsa acknowledges their importance in Southern cuisine but offers a helpful substitution for those who prefer alternatives: walnuts, or the nuts can be omitted entirely without compromising the cake’s charm.

Beth Price

Beth recounted the fond memories this cake evoked at a recent party, with guests exclaiming, “This looks just like a cake my grandma used to make” and “My mom always made it when apples were in season.” This highlights the comforting, nostalgic quality inherent in Edna Lewis’s recipes. Beth emphasizes that Lewis consistently delivers “soul-satisfying recipes that don’t involve gourmet ingredients or fancy techniques, just a big dose of good ol’ Southern cooking that you would serve your family.”

For convenience, Beth utilized a stand mixer for the ingredients. Her cake was perfectly done in 60 minutes, indicated by a clean cake tester and the cake gently pulling away from the pan edges. She recommends cutting the cake into small squares for easy serving, especially at outdoor gatherings. She also noted its excellent keeping quality, remaining moist and delicious even after a day, thanks in part to the caramel sauce.

Jack V.

Jack described this apple cake as a delicious fall dessert, ideal for serving a crowd. He observed that the batter is exceptionally dense with apples, estimating it to be “at least 50% apple by volume” while mixing. This results in a texture reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding, but with a lighter feel. He cautions that this “squidgy” rather than strictly cake-like texture might not appeal to everyone but found it utterly delicious, especially when paired with ice cream. His slices were quickly polished off by satisfied diners.

Jack offers invaluable advice: “Do yourself a favor and mix it in the biggest bowl you own.” He learned the hard way that a 5-quart bowl was too small to contain the apples, which tended to “jump overboard.” He strongly advises against using sweet apples, reiterating that tart varieties maintain their structure better during baking and provide a crucial balance to the cake’s sweetness. Furthermore, to achieve the thick, glossy caramel glaze seen in professional photos, he suggests cooking the caramel longer than the recipe indicates. While his glaze was thinner, the flavor penetration into the cake was a worthy trade-off. Finally, he amusingly notes that the stated 12 servings are perhaps for “football linebackers,” as he easily yielded 24 modestly sized pieces.

Debbie Gigliotti

Debbie’s first thought was to rename it “APPLE APPLE APPLE cake” due to the sheer volume of fruit! She emphasizes the seasonal joy of using fresh apples, describing her haul of 10 good-sized Golden and Red Delicious apples as a “bigger pile than the flour.” She cautions future bakers about the significant prep time for peeling, cutting, and dicing the apples, confessing that she initially wondered if she’d ever make the cake again purely due to the fruit preparation. However, one taste of the warm cake quickly changed her mind.

Like Jack, Debbie also stressed the need for a very large bowl to mix the dense batter and copious apples. She baked her cake in a glass pan, which took 70 minutes to reach perfect doneness. The aroma filling her kitchen was so inviting, she half-expected neighbors to appear! While she found the glaze to be a nice touch, she mused that it might not be strictly necessary, as the cake’s pudding-like texture, stemming from its high apple content, is delightful on its own. She concluded by suggesting at least 15 servings due to its richness and recommends serving it with a large, ice-cold glass of milk, noting that the “carb- and sugar-load will settle in about 10 minutes.” A wonderful winter dessert indeed!

Elizabeth Mason-Hill

Elizabeth expressed her love for the cake’s abundant apple content, using a full three pounds of Gala apples, which she found to be “a great amount.” She echoed other testers’ sentiments regarding the challenge of mixing such a heavy, apple-filled batter, even in her largest bowl, but confirmed it was achievable with persistence. She baked her cake in a glass 9×13 inch pan, noting that it filled the pan right up to the rim, making it an excellent choice for feeding a crowd.

She estimated about 15 minutes for apple preparation and another 25 minutes for mixing the cake. For ease of preparation, she suggested adding the vanilla extract directly into the wet ingredients before introducing the flour mixture. Her cake baked for 77 minutes at 325°F, with checks at 60 and 70 minutes. At 77 minutes, the cake tester emerged clean, and the edges had just slightly pulled away from the pan. While she found the caramel glaze simple to make, she felt it was “super sweet” when poured over the cake and believed it could benefit from a bit more salt to balance the flavor.