Gratitude at Sukkot

Nourishing Body & Soul by Sharon Rosenblum

Fall is a wonderful time; it’s my favorite season! I love the fall harvests and the beautiful colors as the leaves begin to change colors preparing to fall from the trees at the end of the year’s cycle. It is a wonderful time to evaluate our lives and our path - our journey, taking walks in the forest, and enjoying mother nature all around us.

Having completed Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we are filled with gratitude for life, for family and friends, and being here at this time to help humanity move forward. Now is the time to celebrate that life and all it has to offer us!

Fall is also the time of year when there are many celebrations in the Jewish faith. This year Sukkot begins at sunset on October 2nd and runs until nightfall on October 9th. It is a weeklong celebration of life and the harvest gathering of foods that sustain us through the winter.

We celebrate Sukkot by building a “sukkah”, which is a dwelling made of a foliage covered booth. It is so nice to eat meals outside in the sukkah smelling the crisp, fresh air as we eat and celebrate. It is also a time to celebrate the Four Kinds, which means the four kinds of Jews coming together in Unity.

Fall is when there are many Jewish holidays including the high holy days of September. It is a time to remember all that we have endured and how far we have come to be alive in this time. Therefore, Gratitude is high on the list of things we mention in our prayers during the holidays.

Having completed Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, just five days ago, we are filled with gratitude for life, for family and friends, and being here at this time to help humanity move forward. Now is the time to celebrate that life and all it has to offer us!

The recipe I’m sharing this month is for a sweet apple cake to remind us of the sweetness of life. This recipe yields 2 cakes, one for our family and one we always share with a friend’s family. Share the joy of this time of year with the ones you love!

I hope you love this recipe as much as my family does!

Enjoy! Sharon

Apple Streusel Cake

Cake Ingredients

1 lb. Granny Smith apples, peeled (3 medium)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1½ cups + 2 tbsp. sugar, divided

¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp. almond extract

2½ cups flour, divided

1½ tsp. baking soda

1¾ tsp. cinnamon, divided

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. nutmeg

Dash cloves

¹⁄₃ cup chopped walnuts

Nonstick cooking oil spray

Streusel Ingredients

¾ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Pinch salt

Glaze Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar

1½ tbsp. water, or more if needed

1 tsp. melted butter

Instructions

Place peeled apples in a bowl of cold water mixed with lemon juice. Reserve. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Cut the butter into small chunks and place in a large mixing bowl along with 1½ cups sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and sugar. Make sure the butter is fully integrated into the sugar and the mixture turns into small, even-sized crumbs.

Add eggs and oil to the bowl. Mix until smooth.

Add Greek yogurt, vanilla and almond extract. Use a spatula to stir the mixture until smooth.

In a separate medium bowl, sift together 2¼ cups flour, baking soda, 1½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt, nutmeg and cloves.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet to make a thick batter. Don’t over mix—a few lumps are okay.

In the same medium bowl, sift together remaining ¼ cup flour, 2 tbsp. sugar and ¼ tsp cinnamon.

Drain the peeled apples and pat dry. Core the apples and dice them into small ¼ inch chunks.

Add the apple chunks to the flour, sugar and cinnamon mixture. Toss the apple chunks with the flour until evenly coated.

Fold the apple chunks and walnuts into the cake batter. Grease two loaf pans with nonstick cooking oil spray. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans.

Streusel

Combine streusel ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a crumbly topping forms. (If you don’t have a processor, chop the walnuts into very small pieces and mix them with the other streusel ingredients until the mixture is moist and crumbly.)

Sprinkle the tops of the two cakes evenly with streusel, half on each cake.

Place the cakes in the oven. Bake for 60–70 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking, until the top is brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. If the top of the cake browns faster than it bakes, cover with foil for the remainder of baking time. It’s a very moist cake, so cook it a little longer if you’re unsure, using the foil to protect against burning.

Let the cakes cool for 20 minutes in their pans, then gently release and place on a wire rack to cool completely. If the cakes will not release easily, you can also let them cool completely in the pan.

Icing

Sift powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients until a thick and creamy icing forms. You want the consistency of thick honey; if you need a little more moisture, add milk a few drops at a time. Just a drop can take it from a thick honey to a runny texture. The thicker the frosting is, the stronger white it will be as it dries.

Line a glass with a plastic baggie, wrapping the edge of the bag around the outer rim of the glass. Use a spatula to scoop the frosting into the bag.

Place cakes on top of a piece of parchment paper or paper towels to catch drips.

Work the frosting into the corner of the bag and snip off a small corner with scissors. Gently squeeze and drizzle the frosting in a zig-zag pattern across the top of the cakes, using half of the icing for each cake.

Let the icing dry for at least 30 minutes to set (it may take longer depending on the weather). Serve as a dessert or a snack with coffee or tea. It’s yummy for breakfast too!

Sharon Rosenblum adopted a Gluten Free and Whole Food lifestyle and is adept at modifying recipes to suit different dietary needs. A healthy approach to eating also serves her as an Empath and Intuitive. Eating “clean” foods brings clarity when working with her guides and spirit. Her joints are no longer achy or sore. Sharon is an Assistant Editor on our Star Nations Magazine Executive Staff and has her own editing business—The Feathering Quill. | fb: FeatheringQuillEdits