comparing apples to apple cake

Quick quiz!

1. Which is better?
a. apples
b. apple cake

2. Which is most worth the work?
a. apples
b. apple cake

Answer Key:
Mostly As: I don't think I know you.
Mostly Bs: We are kindred.

Though the second question might have sounded silly, I really mean it.  I would rather spend the almost two hours it takes me to create an apple cake than quick-run-to-the-store or even wander the orchard for plain old apples.  I really don't even like apples.  I don't care for carrots much, either, which is why I suppose God, in his compassion, made me a human instead of a horse.

Anyway, more in pursuit of that brisk fall feeling than in pursuit of ho-hum apples, my husband and I visited an orchard last weekend.  It was a marvelous day for a walk amid the trees.  Heavy clouds hung over us, but they didn't rain.  It felt a bit like mid-October.  Here's how it looked:

Along this path, which led to the fringes where most of the currently-fruiting trees are, I was surprised to see this cheerily occupying the grass near the path:

Maybe the presence of ripe pumpkins contributed to my sense that fall was in full swing.  It's weird to think that technically it's still summer.  One more outdoor image and then we'll move inside--and I bet you know what that means. (Cake.)

As the spoils of our jaunt we brought home the apples pictured at the top of this post, but I had destructive plans for them.  Maybe "reconstructive" is more accurate.  And euphemistic.

Do you like my vintage food processor?  Me too.  Here's what happened after I basically sauced all the apples:

Green bowl: flour, leavening, spices, salt.  Blue bowl: brown sugar, butter, eggs.  Glass bowl: juicy apple mush.  They combined in this order: dry ingredients gradually into blue bowl, then apple into blue bowl.  Then all of it into a greased and floured Bundt pan.  That might sound like overkill, but after going through this multistep cake recipe in the past, only to have my efforts ruined by pan-stickage, I am determined to avoid that pitfall now and forever.

I hope you'll forgive the aesthetics on this last bit...the story is that I was making this cake in the time I had between my two jobs.  When it was time to go to work again, the cake had just finished baking.  I wanted to take some cake with me, since my husband and I neither can nor should eat a whole cake while it remains in its prime.  So I hastily halved the hot cake--kind of a no-no--and dashed out the door with it.  Here's what was left at home when I got back and tried to pretty things up:

Not that pretty, I know.  But still delicious.  Next quiz!

Which is better?
a. Food that looks good.
b. Food that tastes good.

If you hesitated, that's okay.  So did I.  But in this case...looks are overrated.

*It dawned on me that I should probably be so kind as to give credit where credit is due--and offer you all access to this delectable recipe!  It's Martha Stewart's Apple-Cinnamon Bundt Cake.  The only change I make, besides spraying and flouring the Bundt pan like it might never let go, is to ignore her spice measurements.  I use probably a tablespoon of cinnamon and I throw in some allspice too.