It’s that time of year again…fall is here and with it the excitement of baking so it was off to Honey-Pot Hill Orchards in Stow, MA to pick some juicy apples to make some delicious favorites!!I went on Saturday…it was the perfect fall day! The drive to Stow is always pleasant and apple picking at Honey-Pot is great fun for the whole family. The sweet smell of apple cider doughnuts, apple pie and caramel apples wafting through the air as you approach the store near the farm animals and pumpkins ripe for picking. It’s great fun walking through the orchids and climbing trees looking for the perfect apple to put in your take-away bag. Of course the afternoon wouldn’t be complete with out sampling all the different apple varieties determining this years favorites. Some popular apples include the MacIntosh, Cortlands, Empires and Golden Delicious to name only a few.

I couldn’t wait to make my home-made apple cake, a recipe I picked up years ago on one of the Honey-Pot take home bags. Sunday morning the house was filled with the smell of apples, cinnamon and nutmeg as the cake was baking in the oven. I have included the recipe here for those also feeling inspired by fall and the joy of baking!

Check out Honey-Pot Hill Orchards and head off to pick some apples of your own! 

Mrs. Cheney’s New Nobby Apple Cake

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup shortening

• 1 egg

• 3 cups diced apples

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 cup flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Pare apples and cut into 1/2 cubes.  Cream shortening and sugar; add beaten egg, add apples, vanilla and sifted dry ingredients. 

2. Bake in 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 

3. Can be served hot or cold.  Add ice cream, whip cream or simply enjoy as is.