flavor
FOUGERE'S FAVORITES
A Taste of the Orchard APPLE CAKE FILLED WITH FAMILY TRADITION.
BY SARA FOUGERE · PHOTOS BY L.G. PATTERSON
A
s I get older and my kids grow into adults, I'm finding all of those little family traditions are becoming
more and more important. I remember going to the apple orchards
in the fall with my family, running down the rows of apple trees, bucket swinging, while my mom and grandmother sat in the shade and talked to people they only saw a few times a year. We would take those apples home and from them would come pies, old-fashioned apple sauce and an apple cake my grandmother made in a pretty beat up aluminum pan. I keep dragging my kids to these orchards on the hopes that someday, like a while from now, they will take their children and I will be the grandmother sitting in the shade. And when we do this, I will make this cake. It reminds me of the cake of my childhood, but honestly (sorry, grandma) it’s better. The cream cheese gives it such a beautiful texture and baking in a springform pan always makes me feel a little fancy, even though it is actually easier than regular pans because nothing gets stuck in the corners. I prefer a nice, locally grown Jonathan apple because I like the tartness, but I've baked this with whatever apple we happen to have and it's always great. Kind of dessert-y and kind of let's-have-this-for-breakfast, it never fails to please — kind of like a day in an orchard.
44 INSIDE COLUMBIA DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022
