Apple Coffee Cake

I read this short little history about apples on the Foodland Ontario website and found it quite interesting.

Apples existed as a wild fruit since prehistoric times and have been cultivated for more than 3,000 years. The ancient Greeks, Etruscans, Romans and Egyptians were among its early cultivators.
During the California Gold Rush apples sometimes fetched more than $100 a bushel because of their versatility, durability and capacity to be preserved by drying.
The apple tree now grows (in thousands of varieties) in almost every corner of the globe from Japan to Madagascar to South Africa, New Zealand, Russia, China, England, France and across much of North America.
 
This got me craving anything apples.  Applesauce, apple pie, baked apples, apple streudel, apples and old cheese and just a nice juicy crisp apple all by itself!  Since I was short on time I decided on Betty Crockers Apple Coffee Cake and enjoyed munching on apple as I cut them up for the cake.  This recipe is so quick and easy it almost makes you feel guilty when people rave about it.  Almost.

This cake fills your house with such an amazing aroma.  That alone is worth baking it!

Some great apples for baking that hold their shape include Northern Spy (#1), Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Cortland and Rome Beauty

Apple Coffee Cake
(Printable Recipe)

Streusel Topping

2/3 cup bisquick
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine

For the cake

2 cups bisquick
2/3 cup milk
3 tbsp. sugar
1 egg
2 medium cooking apples, peeled and sliced

Glaze

1/2 cup icing sugar
2-3 tsp. milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a square 9x9x2 inch pan.  Make streusel topping by combining bisquick, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Cut in butter or margarine with pastry blender until crumbly and set aside.
Stir bisquick, milk, sugar and egg until blended; beat vigorously 30 seconds.  Spread half of the batter in pan.



Arrange apple slices on batter.



Sprinkle with half of the streusel topping.



Spread remaining batter over apple slices.



Sprinkle with remaining topping



At this point you can sprinkle with 2 tbsps. chopped nuts.  I leave this out due to a peanut allergy in our family.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.  Cool 20 minutes in pan on wire rack.  Drizzle with glaze.

Try and eat just one piece.  Yeah, that's what I thought!