Apple Pecan Pie Cake

When I still had apples coming out of my orifices (*snort*) from my Columbus Day apple-picking, I baked yet another apple creation. It’s called Ozark Pudding (a lovely reference to my once and future home), but you could call it Apple Pecan Pie Cake if you wanted to remove all doubt of what it tastes like.

Ozark Pudding

• 1/4 cup all-purose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup finely chopped firm, tart apples (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
• Sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease an 8x12-inch biscuit pan, a 9-inch square pan, or an 8-inch square or round cake pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl using a fork.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs well with a mixer until they become pale yellow, smooth, and thick. Add vanilla, then the sugar in 3 batches, beating well and scraping down the bowl often. Sprinkle in the flour mixture, stirring in only until the flour disappears. Gently fold in the nuts and apples, just until evenly mixed.

Scrape the batter into the prepared ban and bake for 25-30 minutes, until puffed, golden brown, and pulling away from sides of pan. Serve warm or at room temperature, with sweetened whipped cream, if you like.

I ate my first serving from a dish like a civilized person. It was so good, though, that I decided to change into some sweatpants and just gobble from the trough eat from the pan. Confession: I finished it off straight out of the pan. Not all at once, mind you--just a spoonful here and there until it was gone and I had to waddle my fat ass away.

Bottom line: If you're looking for an alternative to pumpkin or pecan pie, you could do a lot worse than Ozark Pudding this Thanksgiving.