Catherine Bonn's Apple Walnut Cake

In my family, this cake is simply referred to as a Catherine Bonn cake. The receipt comes from a lady from my grandmother's church. It is a moist, delectable cake, perfect with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. The cake is made using vegetable oil as the fat, which I have found leaves the end product very moist indeed. With or without the caramel topping, this cake is ravishing.

Catherine Bonn's Apple Walnut Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups finely minced apple
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup black walnuts, chopped
1 cup coconut

Preheat your oven to 325º and grease and flour a tube pan. A bundt pan may also be used in a pinch. Sift together the dry ingredients, excluding the sugar, and set aside. In your mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Then add the eggs one at a time before stirring in the vanilla. Mix in your dry ingredients, then stir in the apples, walnuts, and coconut. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until done. The old skewer/toothpick trick is best for testing doneness. Poke it with the stick. If it comes out with just a crumb or two attached, it's ready.

Once you've removed the cake from the oven and would like a caramel topping, let it rest for a few minutes, then remove it from the pan. Combine a stick of butter, 1 cup of brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the topping over the warm cake and let cool before serving.

Note: Please use a delicious apple, one that you would want to eat, but not one with the word 'delicious' in the name. To me, these are anything but delicious. You may also want to toss the walnuts with a bit of flour before adding them to the batter. This will keep them for sinking to the bottom. And please, use real proper vanilla extract.