Fall Festival Recipe Exchange

Amy, from My Friend Amy, had another one of her "Brilliant" ideas. This time: a Fall Festival Recipe Exchange! I love cooking, when I have the time, and I'm always on the lookout for new ideas. Especially baking. So, please help add to my recipe book!!

I know a lot of people think "pumpkin" when they think about fall. Personally, I've never been a big pumpkin fan. My personal favorite this time of year are apples. We have a place about 30 miles from here where you can go pick apples. They have a bakery, with homemade apple cider donuts (YUM), apple pies, apple cakes. They also have a huge pumpkin patch, where the kids pick out the pumpkins they want to carve for Halloween.

I try to take the kids apple picking every fall. But we always end up with way too many apples. There are so many apples you can eat in a day. So many pies to bake. Because of this, I started looking for other, easy apple recipes. I found two that I really love, and thought I would share them both. (I know you said one, but I never can do things quite by the rules, can I?)

The first is a recipe for a German Apple Cake. My grandmother used to make this for us, and it was SO good. And moist. My kids just love it (of course, I think it has more to do with the cream cheese frosting than the cake itself!)

INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups tart apples - peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
FROSTING:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

2. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter. Add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth. Spread over cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

See...easy!! The second is for Baked Apples in a Caramel Cream. Just a slight variation of regular baked apples, but so yummy!

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup hot water
4 large Rome beauty apples, cored
1 tablespoon lemon juice
12 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/2 cup whipping cream


DIRECTIONS
Combine brown sugar and water in an 9-in. square baking dish. Peel the top half of each apple; brush with lemon juice. Place in the baking dish. Fill each with three caramels. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-65 minutes or until apples are tender, basting every 20 minutes. Carefully lift apples, allowing any caramel in centers to drip into pan, and place in individual dessert dishes. Pour sauce into a small saucepan; add cream. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until sauce is smooth and thick. Spoon over apples; Sprinkle with a little brown sugar and Cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Many Thanks to Amy for hosting!! If you have a recipe to add, please be sure to post and link up to Amy's Festival Mr. Linky!!