It's time for Coffee Cake

My mom left me a tattered, well-used and well-loved American Woman's Cookbook published by the Culinary Arts Institute of Chicago in 1947. Last night, as it was chilly and there was nothing to have with coffee, I pulled it out and found a somewhat splattered dog-eared page containing the recipe for Spicy Apple Coffee Cake. It took only minutes to prepare, and as I did, I thought of my mom, her great cooking and how, one day, I'd pass this cookbook on to my daughter. And maybe, just maybe, being a great cook herself, my daughter too might peruse this old book with its yellowed pages, with its cracked decaying spine and worn bluey-green cover, to produce this same cake for her loved ones.

The cake was so good, I hate to admit that it's already gone as we finished it off for breakfast!! Here's the recipe:

2 c sifted flour 2/3 to 3/4 c milk

1 tbsp sugar 2 or 3 apples

3 tsp baking powder 1/3 c brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp shortening (I used butter) 1 tbsp butter

1/2 c grated nippy cheese

Sift flour, b.powder, and salt together. Cut in shortening & cheese. Add milk to make a soft dough. Turn out on lightly floured board & knead for 1/2 minute. Pat the dough in ungreased 9" layer-cake pan. Pare apples, core and slice thin. Arrange apples in petal design over top. Sprinkle with brown sugar & cinnamon and dot with butter. Bake in hot over 425 degrees for 25 minutes. It's delish! Enjoy...we certainly did.