FRESH APPLE CAKE WITH VANILLA SAUCE--THE BEST EVER!

I tasted this heavy, moist, tasty cake with it's smooth vanilla sauce about 10 years ago.  It was love at first bite and I knew I needed the recipe.  The rest is history--it's been a family favorite ever since.  We have two apple trees--a yellow delicious and a red delicious, and this cake is an easy way to use up some of the apples.  The batter is thick, and I always make 1/2 of the cake with coarsely chopped walnuts, and the other half without, to please everyone in the family.  But the thing that really makes this cake is the scrumptious warm vanilla sauce that you top each slice with, along with a dollop of whipped cream.  It's the perfect dessert for this time of year, and just the aroma of it baking is a true joy to the senses.

FRESH APPLE CAKE WITH VANILLA SAUCE

1/2 Cup butter, softened

2 Cups sugar

2 eggs

2 Cups flour

2 teaspoons soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 Cups grated fresh apples

1 Cup coarsely chopped nuts (opt).

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and blend well.  Add flour, soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon to the mixture and stir until well blended.  Add 4 Cups of grated apples, and chopped nuts, if desired.  Grease or spray a 9x13" cake pan and bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.   Serve with warm Vanilla Sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.  (Your whipped cream will mostly likely run a little because of the warm sauce).   I like to store any leftovers in the refrigerator to keep it moist.  This cake Freezes well.

VANILLA SAUCE

1 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup evaporated milk

1/3 Cup butter

2 Tablespoons flour

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Combine ingredients in small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Spoon onto servings of apple cake while warm.  Store extra in refrigerator and reheat when serving again.