Vintage Recipes

For my first post, I'd like to offer up a recipe attributed to my paternal great-grandmother, from a local Lutheran church cookbook dating to 1957 (although I've added my own notes in italics). While I got a lot of recipes from the book, this is the only one I've field-tested so far, and the results are delicious. It sounds like a cake, but the results are more like a cross between an apple cobbler and lemon bars.

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APPLE SPONGE

½ c. sugar
¼ c. water
6 apples

Pare, core, and halve apples and place in pudding dish (or any similiar small baking dish) and add sugar and water. Bake until half done at 375 degrees ( the apples should yield to fork/knife pressure, but not be mushy).

1 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
1 c. flour, sifted
pinch of salt
6 tbsp. hot water
1 tsp. lemon extract (You can also substitute the equivalent amount of lemon zest)
1 tsp. baking powder

Beat egg yolks, gradually adding sugar. Add hot water and lemon extract/zest. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix into egg mixture. (The resulting batter will be fairly fluid and gritty) Stir quickly and pour over apples. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve cold, or warm with hard sauce.

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The resulting dish will have a hard sugary crust, like lemon bars, with a with a gooey, sweet filling underneath. Lemon and apple may sound like a strange flavor combination, but it absolutely works and makes it rather appropriate for the summer. If you like a slightly firmer dish, you could try 1 tbsp. of cornstarch or tapioca starch mixed into the batter.