I have been attempting this blog post for almost a week now. It’s amazing how one thing after another can constantly interrupt.  I don’t even work outside the home other than my volunteer work, so tell me all you parents who both work outside the home, how do you do it?! How do you keep up?!  Between sick kids after a sick husband, kids in and out 24/7 letting the puppy out so we have to chase her all over the neighborhood, band events, other school events, painting rooms one at a time to make our new house a home, etc etc. I could go on and on! Does anyone else notice that just when you block out a chunk of “you” time in your mind to get things done on the computer, you walk in, cup of break coffee in hand, a sense of relief for a few minutes to sit in front of the computer and do your thing, then “Bam”, someone is on the computer! They tell you “just a few more minutes” but they don’t understand that all I had was these “few” minutes. In a few minutes it’s time to start making dinner! I know there are many moms/dads out there who experience this feeling. It can be almost overwhelming. But, when I sit down and reflect on it after the irritable state has passed and I’m more rational, I realize how I would never trade my duties of being a wife and mom in for anything in the world! God has blessed me abundantly. But, being human, it’s normal to feel this way at times. I truly commend the families where both parents work outside the home, it has to be exhausting.  As I write my daughter just went back outside with the butterfly house she just built, which required me finding all the materials (but I’m happy she is feeling a little better) and my son is pacing around me talking (he’s a pacer, never sits, kind of high strung like his momma) and just announced that he needs to go to the bookstore tonight because he needs a book for tomorrow that is mandatory. Case in point! This is one of the perks of living so close to everything:-) On with this post and onto the cake!

This apple cake was my husbands request for his birthday last week. It is light and fluffy, moist, with the most fudgy super sweet delicious frosting. This cake was very filling but just had such a wonderful flavor. I was a little concerned with the frosting at first using brown sugar in it, I thought it would be to gritty, but some of the grit boils out in the process of making the frosting and the little bit of grit to this thick frosting actually makes it feel like you have a cake frosted in fudge. I’m totally okay with that and my husband loved it! Here is my recipe.

Cake Ingredients:

2.5 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 cup light buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 apples diced small

 

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of your cake pans. I used to round 9″ pans. In a large mixing bowl beat together all the ingredients, minus the diced apples.  Beat for 1-2 minutes or until completely mixed and smooth. Add the diced apples and stir together, mixing well. Pour the mix into your baking pans evenly and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until your test stick comes out clean and it’s done. Cool, then frost.

Frosting Ingredients:

2 cups packed brown sugar

5 cups confectioners sugar

1.5 sticks butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Melt your butter in a pan. Mix in brown sugar and bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add vanilla and mix well. In a large mixing bowl mix the confectioners sugar and milk. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the brown sugar mix to the confectioners sugar and beat again for about 1 minute or until mixed well. Use about 1/4 of the frosting on top of one of the cakes, spread evenly and slightly thick. Top with the other cake, then continue frosting until the whole cake is frosted! If you have a sweet tooth then this cake with definitely curb that sugar craving! Enjoy!