Grandma Tilson’s Cake

Wins First Prize

Bob Sharpe almost didn’t enter the Newtown Senior Center’s apple baking contest this year.

First, he didn’t have a recipe. Then he barely arrived at the competition in time. But by the time the judging was done, Mr Sharpe had taken first place for his Apple Sauce Cake.

“I call it Grandma’s Cake because it is Hazel Tilson’s family recipe,” Mr Sharpe said. “She gave the recipe to me when I said I didn’t have a good one. She said she makes it all the time.”

Mrs Tilson, who also is a Senior Center member, said the cake came from her mother-in-law Pearl Tilson.

Mr Sharpe and his wife Lesley arrived at the multipurpose building on Riverside Road just as the judging began. The applesauce cake, filled with nuts, raisins, and spices, and topped with a butter-cream frosting, joined six cakes, pies, and coffee cakes on the table.

Newtown resident Ron Shimko and Pat Harkin of Brookfield, both of whom work for the New York Life Insurance Company, were volunteer judges. “It was tough because they were all great,” Mr Shimko said.

Bea Piskura’s German Apple Cake took second place, while Aida Reiske’s Apple Strudel Coffee Cake was third. Their recipes, as well as those by Marion Newson, Lois Pratt, David Gaffney, and Lee DeLuca, will be incorporated into a cookbook by the Senior Center.

Pearl Tilson’s                   Apple Sauce Cake

1 cup sugar

1 egg

½ cup butter or margarine

½ tsp salt

1 cup small raisins, slightly chopped

1 tsp baking soda

1 Tbs water

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1¾ cups flour

2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa

½ tsp ground clover

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

1 cup chopped nuts

Combine together the sugar, egg, butter, and salt. Add raisins.

Dissolve baking soda in water. Let foam over the combined ingredients and mix thoroughly. To this add flour, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and chopped nuts. Spread in a greased and floured stove pipe or tube pan.

Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and frost with vanilla butter cream icing.