Mama Newton: Apples are good brain food.

No doubt young Isaac brought that fallen apple straight into the kitchen and his mom baked it into something delish before setting it before the lad with these words, "Apples are good brain food."

Obviously correct because some years later, Isaac Newton came up with the Law of Gravity. Probably while his mother furiously searched for ideas on how to cook something new with all those damned apples falling off that tree! And now here I am, more than three hundred years later, facing the same dilemma as Mama Newton.

I've sauced 'em, canned 'em, baked 'em, baked tarts and even a few pies with 'em. There are a number of good apple almond cake recipes out there but I wanted something just a little different and really easy. According to my live-in taste testers the experiment was a success.

AMARETTO APPLE CAKE
1/4 cup slivered almonds
4 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 cup granulauted sugar
1 ounce shot of amaretto liqueur
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin

Topping

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a 9 inch springform pan for baking with your favorite cooking spray. Set aside. In a medium size bowl mix flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside. In a small bowl mix together topping ingredients. Set aside.

Using a food processor or a blender, process slivered almonds to fine ground, almost powder. Add butter and eggs and pulse to a frothy mix. Next, add the sugar and amaretto, use the mixing speed to blend. Slowly add pre-mixed dry ingredients using the mixing speed until blended thoroughly, about two-three minutes. Batter will be thick.

Pour about 1/2 the batter into prepared springform pan. Layer sliced apples on top. Pour remaining batter over apples. Sprinkle topping mixture on top of that. It might look lumpy but will even out in the baking. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center. Allow to cool slightly, no more than ten minutes. Remove from pan to decorative plate.

Using a fork or small whisk, mix amaretto with powdered sugar to make the glaze. If it seems a little thick, add a drop of water to relax the consistency. Drizzle over cake top and let set a few minutes before serving warm. Cover remaining cake with plastic wrap. Leftover cake tastes good cool and also warms nicely in the microwave on the bread setting.