Best way to eat your 'apple a day' . . .

Okay, perhaps, this isn't the absolutely best way to eat your apple a day but it is the best tasting way to eat your apple a day. I've seen many versions of this recipe over the years. I always forget about it . . . until my thoughts and my perspiring body start dreaming about Fall and the upcoming apple season.

Easy, one-bowl, apple cake

2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 3 cups diced  apples - the green apples work the best but you can do a combination. 1 cup chopped nuts 1/2 cup raisins - optional (I prefer dried cranberries!) Directions: Combine all the ingredients except apples, nuts, and raisins. Gentley stir in apples, nuts, and raisins. Pour into well-greased and floured pan.  You can bake this as a sheet cake, use a bundt pan, or an angel food tube pan. I haven't tried it but loaf pans would probably be okay, too. Bake at 325 degrees for  approximately 1 1/2 hours. Ideas . . . Soak the raisins and apples in a bit of brandy before stirring into the cake ingredients. A tablespoon of either freshly grated lemon or orange zest brightens the taste. A lemon or orange glaze over the almost-cooled cake is wonderful!