“Not Too Sweet” Apple Tea Cake

I used to spend every summer at my grandparent’s house up in Oregon. Months were spent in a tiny, street of a town in an old house that had been built by my great-grandfather and his father. The floors creaked, the air conditioning was non-existent, and the linoleum floors that covered the kitchen were threadbare from years and years and generations and generations of the women in my family working hard to feed their families.

My grandma was what they used to call a “career woman” and for most of the summer she’d feed me and my sister sliced tomatoes with cottage cheese and no-sugar cereal with skim milk, but she did make it her business to teach us this recipe.

“It’s not too sweet” she’d say- which is honestly not what a little kid wants to hear when they’re handed a cake! With age, my pallet has changed, and I’ve learned to appreciate this more subtle sweetness for the treat that it is.

As a kid, it felt like I had been sent to live in a living history museum; as an adult, I miss the feeling of home, of familial history, of nights spent watching the stars glitter in the sky, and the smell of chlorine as we swam in the community pool- the only real thing to do in that down while school was out and the kids that lived there went on their own vacations.

This Apple Cake is absolutely perfect with a cup of tea (Tetley English Breakfast, cream, 2 sugars like my dad used to give us), and is a delight to sink my teeth into as I sit to crack open a good book (okay okay open an audiobook as I embroider I’m a modern woman after all).

The subtle sweetness of the fruit, the lightness of the cake, and the crumbly cinnamon sugar top mingle into a perfect bite that takes me back to hot summers hanging laundry on a line, watching the fireflies dance at night, and hiding under the giant pine tree in the front yard to look up at the branches.

In the recipe, I do specific Pink Lady Apples and the reason for this is because I can! It honestly doesn’t matter what kind of apple you use- as long as it’s good for baking! My grandma used to make this with Granny Smiths, but that’s because grannies have to use them (it’s in the name after all!).

Some other popular apple varieties include Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Rome, Jonagold, and Northern Spy. It doesn’t really matter what variety you use, as long as it can handle heat, and makes you happy!

The important thing to remember is that you don’t overmix this and that you take your time. This is an easy recipe that doesn’t take too much effort, or skill, but I find that baking can be a relaxing process if you go slow and really take the time to be present in your actions.

Listen to the sounds of the mixer, take time to savor the smells as it bakes, and always always, always take a moment to just appreciate the feeling of contentment and safety as you bite into something that you made yourself.

Eat this with some tea or coffee, because this isn’t as sweet as most cakes you can eat this during the day without the strange guilt that comes with eating desserts before noon!