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Through the ages apples were not merely a
fruit to be eaten as food, they were also thought to be magical, with their powers extending from
curing diseases, ensuring fertility, to giving immortality. Even today the
apple provides both good and bad symbolism. As Boria Sax tells us in
'Rooted in America' there is "linkage of apples to health, to rural and domestic
industry, to sin and sex, to purity and danger, and to all-American identity." But most of us usually focus on apples as
a food and the fact is is that they are
an important cultivated fruit in
most temperate parts of the world. Apple varieties now number well into the thousands with each having its own unique
color, shape, texture and flavor. Their colors can range from red, green,
yellow to brown; its flavors can be sweet, tart, mellow, or spicy; and its
textures can be soft and mealy, to hard, to crisp so there is an apple to suit
everyone's tastes.
This Apple Streusel Cake is a great way to showcase the apple's delicious
flavor and texture. It falls into the 'coffee cake' category and it
combines a light and buttery cake with sliced apples and a streusel
topping. I like to use the tart flavored Granny Smith apple in this cake, but other excellent choices are the sweeter tasting Golden
Delicious, Braeburn, McIntosh, Rome, or Mutsu. The crunchy
streusel is made with brown sugar, butter, flour, ground cinnamon and chopped hazelnuts. If you cannot find hazelnuts in your area, substitute with
walnuts, pecans, or even almonds. This cake is delicious warm from the
oven or at room temperature. Of course, no apple dessert is complete
without a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. |
