Rosh Hashanah 2015

Ringing in the New Year in Jamaica Plain, MA with Becca, Mandala, and JWhitie

Menu: Bubbe Mildred's brisket (courtesy of Cheryl's Vitow Family Cookbook), followed by apple cake taken directly from Smitten Kitchen, served with some Ben & Jerry's Vanilla, bien sur.

Cake:

For the apples
6 apples, (McIntosh?)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the cake
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
1 cup vegetable oil (safflower, sunflower, olive and coconut oil also work, as does melted butter)
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into 1-inch chunks. Toss with cinnamon and 5 tablespoons sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Mix wet ingredients into dry ones; scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples (and their juices) over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.*

Cool completely before running knife between cake and pan, and unmolding onto a platter.

Do ahead: This cake is awesome on the first day but absolutely glorious and pudding-like on the days that follow, so feel free to get an early start on it. I keep it at room temperature covered with foil.