Witamy!
Many classic Polish baked goods trace
their roots to the country and farms where
the harvest bounty and seasons often dictated what landed in the kitchen and on
the table every week. In our modern
world of upscale grocery stores, most recipes can be prepared the year round. Ingredients are transported from wherever on
our planet they are plentiful to wherever they are scarce. So, seasonality has become less of an
issue. Of course if you wish to “buy
local,” farmers’ markets are the way to go for freshly harvested and locally
grown items. And yes they often do taste
better – at least to this writer.
There are few better combinations of flavors than apples,
cinnamon and walnuts. This is one of our
absolutely favorite desserts and one that we often prepare for sampling at book
signing events. Then, Laura makes it in a
mini-cupcake size and it works beautifully.
It’s very easy to prepare and the recipe is almost goof proof. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s super popular
with all our friends.
½ pound butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cups raisins
4 cups cooking apples, peeled & coarsely shredded
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Beat the
butter with the sugar until creamy. A standing mixer is perfect for this job
but a hand mixer will work just as well.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat five more minutes (less if using a
standing mixer). Add the flour,
cinnamon, baking soda and beat three more minutes. Fold in the fruit and walnuts.
Butter and
flour a high 10-inch round spring form cake pan. Pour in the finished batter and shake it
around for even distribution. Bake at
350 degrees for an hour to an hour and a half (60 to 90 minutes). Test at 60 minutes for doneness with a
toothpick. The cake is done when the
toothpick comes out dry. Remove from
oven and cool for 15 minutes before releasing the pan.
Yields 12 to 16 portions, depending on
size of slices and how hungry your guests are. Smacznego!