Halloween and Caramel Apple Day

Today is Halloween. It also happens to be Caramel Apple Day. How convenient for those who still give out home-made treats on Halloween. You can celebrate Halloween and Caramel Apple Day together.

What we now call Halloween was once known as All Hollow’s Eve, the day before All Saints Day. All Saints is Holy. The day before in an Eve. Hence All Hallow’s Eve.

Often people have said that Christians, and in particular Catholics, “stole” pagan holidays or customs. It makes sense to think that way. Much of Halloween is a prime example. Two thousand years ago the area that is now Ireland belonged to the Celtic people. They celebrated the New Year on what is now November 1. This date also marked the end of summer, and the cold, dark coming of winter. The change was often associate with death. The Celts believed that the worlds between the living and the dead became blurred on the eve of the new year. To prevent the dead from returning to earth and making a mess of things, they celebrated Samhain. This celebration consisted of huge bon fires where crops and sometimes animals were sacrificed. The people dressed in costumes made from animal skins. It was a big deal.

Along came the Romans. When they conquered the Celtic clans, they combined the Samhain festival with two of their own festivals. The first was Feralia, commemorating the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit. This introduced apples to the festivities. Some believe the tradition of bobbing for apples at a Halloween party is actually a throwback to Roman times.

Fast forward to 609, when Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honor of all Christian martyrs. This gave Catholics the feast of All Martyrs Day on May 13. Sometime around 739, Pope Gregory III moved the feast day from May 13 to November 1, calling it All Saints Day. By the 9th century, Catholic influence had spread into Celtic lands. Often the Church uses traditions, customs and celebrations that seem familiar to people and give it a Catholic twist, gently turning away from pagan rituals and focusing instead on Christ. When converting people to the Catholic Faith, they found it easier to incorporate traditions that seemed familiar rather than to throw it all out and ban such practices. As a result, All Souls’ Day is a day to honor the dead, All Saints is for those who sacrificed everything for faith. All Hollow’s Eve is the night before these two very Christian feast days. Traditionally, people dressed in costume, sang songs and told stories of their departed loved ones. Today we call this practice Halloween, but without the story telling.

Don’t forget, it’s also National Caramel Apple Day. This coffee cake takes its que from the sticky apples on a stick. The beauty of any coffee cake is that you can serve it up whenever you like. Have it for breakfast. Have it as part of a coffee break. Serve it at the conclusion of a meal. Or just because.

Caramel Apple Coffee Cake
Apple Coffee Cake
2-1/2 cups Flour
1 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
12 tablespoons (¾ cup) softened Butter
3 large Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2/3 cup Milk
2 large Red Apples

Heat oven to 325-degrees. Grease and flour a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish, set aside.

In a mixing bowl beat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt on low speed until fully blended. Beat in the softened butter until crumbly. Add eggs, vanilla and milk, beating for several minutes until fluffy and fully combined. Set batter aside.

Peel and core both apples. Dice one apple, slice other apple. Fold diced apple into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared baking dish, spread to smooth out top. Arrange sliced apples over the top o the batter. Set coffee cake aside to make Streusel.

Streusel
3/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
8 tablespoons Butter
1-1/2 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

Combine sugar with cinnamon and salt. Melt butter, drizzle over sugar mixture, stir to moisten. Cut in flour and nutmeg with a large fork until crumbly.

Sprinkle the streusel evenly over apple layer. Bake Coffee Cake in the heated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, checking after 45 minutes of baking.

Caramel Glaze Finish
2 cups Powdered Sugar
4 tablespoons Caramel Sauce
2 tablespoons Milk

Whisk the sugar, caramel and milk together until smooth. When cake is removed from oven, let cool for a few minutes Pour glaze over the cake while still warm. Allow cake to cool to room temperature for the glaze to set before serving.

Since this is Halloween, I thought we might have some fun with the decorations.

Note: Should there be any cake left over, cover and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.