Oneforthetable.com

This cake was my dad's favorite. He had a fall birthday and this is the dessert my mom made him every year for his office celebration. It was also the batter my mom could barely keep us kids away from -- it was so good, even before it was baked. This was back in the day when no one cared about eating raw cake batter.

This is one of those delicious, moist cakes I crave and love eating every single time. It has such great memories for me. I can still see my dad getting down the special crystal tray my mom used for the cake. It was on a high shelf above the stove she could not reach. The platter wasn't anything expensive, just the best one she had. A bowl of real whipped cream was served with it -- trust me, you don't want to forget the whipped cream.

My mom acquired this recipe from a woman she used to work with over 50 years ago in downtown Los Angeles. Beyond that we know nothing about its origins.

The texture is especially nice, with its big chunky apples, crunchy walnuts and decent amount cinnamon. I have noticed that if the apples are too thin, the batter gets too soggy. Keep them coarsely chopped in thick chunks.

Chunky Apple Snack Cake

Recipe from Noble Pig

Makes one 9-by-13-inch cake.

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 cups (6-8 apples) Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered and diced coarsley

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9- by 13-inch pan by spraying it with cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl combine eggs, oil and vanilla; add this to the sugar-flour mixture in the large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Batter will be stiff (do not use mixer).

Add the apples and walnuts. Pour into baking pan and cook for 50-60 minutes or until the middle springs back when touched.

Serve with whipped cream. Feel free to make this cake a day ahead, the flavor only improves.

(Cathy Pollak runs her own vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She blogs about food and wine at noblepig.com. One for the Table is Amy Ephron's online magazine that specializes in food, politics and love. http://www.oneforthetable.com/.)