Fresh Apple Cake

I think my dad is playing me like a fiddle! He knows that any time he brings fruit home, I'm gonna turn it into something good. Lately, apples have been popping up frequently on our kitchen table. So what do I do? Apple pie, apple turnovers, apple crisp... but this time I wanted to make something different. I've never made apple cake before, and when I googled it, Smitten Kitchen's recipe was one of the top results. Cha-ching! The recipe is her mother's, and I can tell you it will become a staple recipe in our house. It was absolutely delicious! I read some of the reviews on her blog from other people who made it. A few people said it was gummy, dense, and had other strange complaints. I dunno what their problem was because the cake I made was out of this world! Her mom's original recipe calls for McIntosh apples, but my dad seems to always buy Granny Smiths. I thought they were excellent in the cake. They were very tart and provided a nice contrast from the sweet cake. The brown crust was my favorite part! Mmm... I halved her recipe and baked it in a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Umm let's keep this quiet... I ate THREE slices! ;PMom’s Apple Cake (from SmittenKitchen.com)

6 apples, Mom uses McIntosh apples
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean. (If baking a half recipe in a loaf pan, bake for 50-60 minutes.)