Recipe in Spotlight – Sharon’s Apple Cake

Editor’s note: This post is part of a series highlighting recipes used by the White House Staff for the Jewish High Holidays.

The high holidays are a time for family and friends to come together to mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year. Back home in Atlanta, dinner for the first night of Rosh Hashanah would not be the same without my mom’s best friend Sharon Karpel’s apple cake.

Sharon’s Apple Cake

Group 1

• 4 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Group 2

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the sugar with the apples and let sit for a few minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients in Group 1 to the apple-sugar mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, mix all of the ingredients in Group 2 together, and then slowly add to Group 1 bowl.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and bake for 50 -60 minutes.
6. Let cool, and then cut the cake into squares and serve.

Danielle Borrin is the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs & Deputy Director of Public Engagement in the Office of the Vice President.