Apple Cake

Preheat oven

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan, or two 8- or 9-inch cake pans.

Mix dry ingredients

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir with a fork to mix everything together well.

Beat eggs

In a large stainless bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk or electric mixer at low speed until pale yellow and foamy.

Add wet ingredients

Add the oil and the vanilla, and beat them together well.

Combine wet and dry

Stir in the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix the batter, stopping once the flour disappears.

Add apples and nuts

Add the apples and nuts, mix them into the batter using your clean hands until fairly uniform. The batter will be quite thick. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake

Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown, springs back when touched lightly near the center, and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Place the cake on a wire cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel.

Boil sugar mixture

In a saucepan, heat the brown sugar, butter, and milk to a boil, whisking constantly while boiling 1 minute.

Add vanilla

Turn off heat. Stir in the vanilla.

Add powdered sugar

Gradually whisk in the powdered sugar.

Cool and pour

Stir gently 3 to 5 minutes until it starts to cool and thicken. Pour over hot cake from oven.