I can’t remember when I was little and I came home tired from school to find that delicious smell of apple pie in the oven and finding my mom in an apron with a tall glass of cold milk and a big smile on her face. Mainly because my mom never baked apple pie, doesn’t like milk and she was rarely around when I came home from school (she did wear aprons though, and she cooked a lot, hence the me). So whenever I have apple pie-cake/chocolate cookies/glasses of cold milk, I pretend I do have that nonexistent memory, simply because it appears to be something that everyone has in spite of rarely anyone actually having a mom who did any such things. And pretending that makes me find so much peace and comfort in those classic flavors. Because even though it’s not something I learned when I was little, there’s something undeniable warm and homey about apple baked goods. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s embedded somewhere in our unconscious, but there’s something about that smell, fresh from the oven, that makes me feel like I live right next to the orchard where those apples where lovingly hand picked and placed in an immaculate wicker basket, covered with a red and white checkered cloth and then brought inside, waiting eagerly to become a cake. It’s a pleasant image, and one not to hard to keep in mind as you munch away on your cake. This pound cake isn’t too sweet, so you can have it with your morning coffee or as mid-afternoon treat, and you won’t feel like you’re over-indulging. It’s not the kind of cake that will disappear in an instant but that will see you through three-four days, just sitting on your pantry, homey, familiar and warm. Ready to help you feel that comfort of fake memories, or if you’re lucky, real ones. Read more for the recipe.

Layered apple cinnamon pound cake
(Recipe based on one I found at Southern Plate, but I modified it quite a bit)

For the cake:
3 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup orange juice
150 grs melted butter
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 sp salt

Filling
5 medium sized apples (add o more or less according to how apple-y you like your cake)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 generous tbsp cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Prepare one extra large loaf pan or two medium ones by lining them with parchment paper or greasing and flouring.
Core, peel and dice the apples. Place them in a bowl with the half cup brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, combine all of the ingredients and mix on med speed for about 4 minutes, until well blended and smooth.
Place half the cake batter on the pan, add half the apples, add the second half cake batter and top with the remaining apples.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy warm!