Historical November–December 2009 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
You made the annual trek to Eckert’s Orchard and the kids picked enough Granny Smith’s to feed every neighbor on the block.
Now what?
If it were up to Sally Boggeman (61XX Washington), you’d make a fresh apple cake. “I grew up in Vermont where apples are a staple.
There was always fresh applesauce in the fridge and an apple crisp or pie for dessert in the fall and early winter,” said Sally, who has lived in Skinker-DeBaliviere for 25 years.
From childhood, Sally’s parents instilled on her the importance of home-cooked meals. “Cooking was an important part of the daily routine, as was sharing the evening meal at 6:00 p.m.!
The only time we went out for a meal was when we were traveling, and usually we packed picnics to eat the first day along the way,” she recalls.
As the mother of two children, Sally adopted the same home cooking routine. Even though her children are now grown (Timothy, 35, lives with his family in Charlotte, NC. Sarah, 32, resides in St. Louis and works the emergency room at a hospital in Belleville, IL.), Sally and her husband Jim still love to cook for family and friends.
She especially enjoys spending time in the kitchen with her grandchildren or when Sarah drops by for dinner. Sally is also a first-grade teacher at New City School.
She and Jim have lived on the 6100 block of Washington for many years.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Sally has developed a particular fondness for baking. “Dad, at age 91, bakes bread and muffins weekly.
I come by it naturally.” Among her cooking mantra: use fresh ingredients, real butter and real vanilla.
The recipe she uses to bake apple cake comes from Bakery Lane, a small restaurant in Middlebury, Vermont. “Their cookbook is the one I use most often for soups and desserts. Though the restaurant is no longer in business, the recipe lives on.” Though autumn may be apple season, Sally makes apple cake year round.
When she is visiting her parents in Vermont, she bakes with Macintosh apples, but notes that that variety is hard to find in St. Louis. “A tart apple is best but I have used Delicious or anything I have on-hand.” In Sally’s estimation, it is the frosting that is so amazing. “The caramel and apples are a perfect combination.” Fresh Apple Cake makes 1 9 X 13-inch cake 2 1/3 cups flour 2 cups sugar 2 tsp. baking soda 3/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 4 cups apples, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 2 eggs Caramel frosting (see recipe) Preheat oven to 325º. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended. Add apples, butter, nuts and eggs to bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Pour batter into a greased 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched. Remove from oven and leave in pan to cool completely on wire rack. Frost with caramel frosting. Caramel frosting makes about 1 cup 1/3 cup butter 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar Dash of salt 3 Tbsp. milk 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar 1/4 tsp vanilla Melt butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar and salt. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add milk and bring to a boil. Pour into mixing bowl and cool 10 minutes. Add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Beat to spreading consistency, adding additional confectioner’s sugar if necessary. Spread on apple cake. from The Bakery Lane Soup Bowl Cook Book by Marge Mitchell & Joan Sedgwick (P.S. Eriksson, 1993).
Original photograph caption
Sally Boggeman with apple cake. Descriptive caption supplied.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November–December 2009.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2009_11.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
