Aunt Joan's Blueberry Buckle

One of the things I most look forward to during the holidays is sharing yummy food with loved ones, and this Blueberry Buckle that our Aunt Joan brings to family gatherings is one of my favorites.  Bursting with juicy blueberries and finished with a cinnamon sugar crumb topping, my mouth waters just thinking about it.  Great served for breakfast, afternoon snack, or dessert - no adornment needed.  I should mention it stays moist for days if refrigerated in an airtight container, but you may not need to worry about that once your family tastes it.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• professional cake pan https://amzn.to/3WoSFvk

• hand mixer https://amzn.to/3sVbIA4

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Aunt Joan's Blueberry Buckle

makes one 9x13 pan

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup shortening

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 cups flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2-3 cups blueberries

Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup flour

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 cup butter

• dash of fine salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and butter a 9x13 professional cake pan.

2. Make the cake batter by creaming together the sugar and shortening; gradually add eggs and milk.

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to batter.

4. Stir in blueberries and pour batter into prepared pan.

5. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of cake batter.

6. Bake for 60 minutes.

7. Cool completely before serving.

Slow Cooker Caramelized Apples

I recently had an opportunity to make a "fruit dish" to feed a group of 40 men.  Being apple season here in apple country, I initially thought about baking pies, but to be completely honest, I didn't think the men who would be serving this meal (and none of whom are skilled in the kitchen) would be happy about having to cut 40 slices of pie.  So I searched the internet for some sort of crustless apple pie-like recipe, which led me to this one for Slow Cooker Caramel Apples on a blog called Kate from Scratch.  They're super yummy and were a big hit at the meal - thanks Kate!!

The original slow cooker recipe is listed below - my notes for multiplying the recipe and converting to cook in an 18-quart Roaster Oven will be listed below that.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3WltYjv

• slow cooker https://amzn.to/3FGtKxe

• whole nutmeg https://amzn.to/3DX1NQF

• microplane grater https://amzn.to/3sRpeEK

• my favorite apple peeler https://amzn.to/3zFVPRG

• apple corer https://amzn.to/3FHgqJg

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Slow Cooker Caramelized Apples

serves 10

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 cups diced baking apples (peeled and cored)

• 1 cup dark brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1 dash freshly grated nutmeg

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Put all the ingredient in a slow cooker and mix thoroughly.

2. Cover and cook on high until apples are tender, about 3 hours. The yummy salted-cinnamon-vanilla-caramel sauce that coats the apples will thicken slightly upon cooling. Cook uncovered for a thicker sauce.

Notes

• For my large version that will feed 40, quadruple the recipe and cook in an 18-quart electric roaster set to 300F for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

• I used a mix of apples - galas, golden delicious, golden supreme, and Nittany. Any apple that keeps it's shape during baking will work well.