My Mom’s Apple Sauce

This is simply the best apple sauces there without any other ingredients that red apples and a bit of water. It will be a beautiful pink color depending on the apples you have. I usually use McIntosh. No sugar, no cinnamon, so simple, so delicious! You can always add those if you like.

Yields 12-14 cups | Prep. time 15 min. | Cooking time 50 min.

Ingredients

• 10 pounds of cooking apples such as McIntosh, Cortland, Bramley
• Water

Directions

1. Wash the apples thoroughly and then cut into quarters.
2. Add about ¼ cup to ½ cup at the bottom of the large pot just to barely cover the bottom.
3. Place the apples into the pot, cook over medium-low heat until soft, about 40-50 minutes.
4. Place a food mill set with the finest disc over a large bowl. Place the handle.
5. Scoop out some of the cooked apples with a slotted spoon and add them to the mill. Puree the apples by turning the handle until only skin and seeds are left and need to be discarded. Repeat until all the apples are pureed.
6. Add the applesauce to canning jars. Place in the fridge the jars you will be eating within a week.
7. For the others to be stored, place jars in a very large pot filled with water to the 2/3 of the height of the jars, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let the jars sit in the water bath for about 20 minutes.
8. Let cool completely before storing.

Note: if you do have a food mill, just peel and core the apples and puree with a blender stick or in batches in a food processor. The applesauce will be more golden.

 

Old Fashioned Apple Loaf

This family recipe is moist and comforting, and the pecans give it a lovely texture.

Serves 10 | Prep. time 15 min. | Cooking time 45 min.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅔ cup chunky applesauce
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup oil
• 6 tablespoons milk
• ½ cup pecans, chopped

For the topping

• 2 tablespoons pecans, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×5 loaf pan.
2. Combine all the loaf ingredients and mix just to combine. Place them in the prepared loaf pan.
3. Combine the topping ingredients with a fork. Spread them in a line down the center of the loaf.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

 

Kuchen

North Dakota serves an authentic recipe that originated with German settlers from the 1850s and has been passed down for generations. Kuchen is an amazingly comforting sweet dough cake, which is filled with fruit and custard.

Serves 6–8 | Prep. time 1 hour. | Cooking time 20 min

Ingredients

Kuchen base (2 pies)

• 2 large eggs
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups warm milk
• 1 (1¼-ounce) package rapid rise yeast
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup oil
• Vegetable oil for greasing

Fruit custard filling

• 4 cups heavy cream
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• Dash salt
• 4 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

1. To prepare the kuchen pie crusts, whisk the eggs, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly add the warm milk and then mix in the flour and yeast.
2. Grease a clean large bowl generously with vegetable oil. Transfer the dough to this bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm area so it can rise. It should double in size.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch baking pan.
4. To make the custard, add the eggs, sugar, heavy cream, and salt to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until the custard thickens. Remove from heat.
5. Prepare the pie crust by lightly dusting a surface with flour and rolling out half the dough into a thick, round circle to fit in a 9-inch deep pie plate. Grease the pie plate with cooking spray. Place the dough in the pie plate. Repeat for the second pie.
6. Arrange the apple slices evenly on top of the dough of each pie.
7. Mix the cinnamon with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle evenly over the apples. Pour half of the custard into each kuchen.
8. Place the kuchen in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool down for at least 30 minutes before placing in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

 

Amish Applesauce Cake

This moist and fragrant cake has been bringing the kids to the kitchen for over a hundred years.

Serves 12 | Prep. time 15 min. | Cooking time 30 min.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9×13 baking dish.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time.
3. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, baking soda, and salt. Add the applesauce and vanilla, and mix well.
4. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

 

The recipes except the applesauce are from Louise Davidson’s cookbook Vintage Desserts Timeless and Memorable Old-Fashioned Sweet Recipes from our Grandmothers.

Click on the cover or the link to learn more!

 

To download or print the recipes, click here.