Ms Chef in Seattle

February 13th is the birthday of a native Alaskan man who lives in the Manor and who occasionally accepts a slice of cake or a cookie when I find him in the community room with his Tablet. I decided not to make chocolate because one of my Mahjongg ladies cannot have it and I thought that I’d be playing because another one said she’d be out of town – which means I’d be the fourth player in her absence – and I usually bake something to share with my ladies. As it turns out, I don’t get to be the fourth player, but I’d already decided on the cake for the man with the birthday.

I decided to make a single layer rather than two because I won’t be sharing with my ladies, which means I didn’t have to peel and chop four cups of apples. I used my late grandmother’s recipe for Dutch apple cake sans walnuts and added 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s Caramel Sea Salt Baking Chips. A thin layer of Penuche Caramel Frosting on top and sides and voila! (I made a small cupcake for me to taste the combination and I liked it. I also ate it before it was photo time.)

I hope he enjoys the cake. I’m going to deliver it in my cake carrier (which I will ask him to return) and tell him that he can take the gift to his apartment and eat the whole thing over the course of the week (as the jazz pianist does with his birthday cakes!) or he can share it with a few friends.

P.S. Did I ever mention how delicious those sea salt caramel baking chips from Trader Joe’s are? I discovered them last fall, used them in Blondies, Brownies and Toasted Coconut Bars. I went to my local shop in late January to get a couple more bags and was hugely disappointed to find they’d sold the last bag on the 9th, that the stores sell them on a “seasonal” basis! I wrote to Trader Joe’s and expressed my firm opinion that caramel is not a seasonal flavor! I pointed out that there are lots of desserts featuring caramel and the marketing team would be wise to give it another think. I’d used them in four different kinds of cookies and now a cake. I hope they reconsider making them available all year. I’m helping to spread the word in the baking world.

I did a bit of research and found that Hershey’s had featured some sea salt caramel baking chips which had a good number of fans begging for more, but had discontinued the line, probably before many bakers had discovered them. Luckily, I found someone on eBay who’d had the good sense to buy boxes of the Trader Joe’s offering during the 2023 “season” and I purchased some which arrived last Friday. More goodies will be forthcoming from me during the “off season” because they are the yummiest chip ever. They have the perfect amount of sea salt compared to sweet and my cookie fans rave about them. Furthermore, they can be eaten right out of the bag as candy, one at a time to savor that touch of flavor difference. Moderation is required, though.

Update on the cake: The man with the birthday was not here all day or in the evening, so I froze the cake and took it to church on Sunday. It got raves.

I was asked for the Dutch apple cake recipe and it wasn’t one that I know by heart, so I suggested a search for a cake that requires 4 cups of chopped apples. When I got home, I quickly did such a search and found there are many similar recipes for what is typically called German apple cake. We used to make it with streusel topping, with broiled coconut frosting and sometimes with cream cheese frosting. My innovation is the penuche which, to some in my family, makes anything better!