Apple Kuchen For Dessert

Just flipping through the National Calendar. Today is a great day to be a baker and to forget your diet. It’s both National Dessert Day and National Real Sugar Day. Oh be still my heart! Now if only we could also declare today to be Calories Don’t Exist Day!

As you can imagine, the very first desserts required minimal effort or preparation since ancient cultures were more focused on survival than treats. Once upon a time availablity of local ingredients affect the range of desserts made in any given region. Not so today. The sky is the limit as desserts have changed from natural candies and nuts to complex soufflés and multi-layered cakes. Still, do you ever crave a bygone time? I can remember a time when Ladies Clubs and Coffee Cakes were all the rage. While the ladies (expecially those active in the PTA or any number of Church Groups) might still get together, rarely are the cakes homemade. Oh, but once upon a time everybody was a baker.

Apple Kuchen Coffee Cake
1 large Cooking Apple
3/4 cup Sugar, divided
1/3 cup Butter, softened
2 large Eggs, divided
2 cups Bisquick Mix
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Head oven to 350-degrees. Grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with shortening, set aside.

Core, peel and thinly slice a large baking apple, about 1-1/2 cups of apple. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat 1/2-cup sugar, the butter and an egg with an electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds, until smooth. Beat in Bisquick Mix. Spread batter over the bottom and about an inch up the sides of the pan.

In another mixing bowl, mix sour cream and vanilla with remaining egg until smooth. Gently fold in the apples, spoon over batter in the pan. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the apples.

Place in the heated oven to bake for about 45 minutes or until center is set and the crust is a deep golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes; remove sides of pan. Serve warm.

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The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice