Cake vs Pie

An age-old battle. Which is better? I remember having unnecessarily lengthy discussions with a dear friend from college about how we wished we could have pie at our weddings instead of cake. I was never particularly fond of cake, actually; frosting was the only draw for me, and I was very particular about the type of frosting worth the pursuit of cake. Pie was far more appealing, because there was less "bread" and more goodness: apples, pumpkin, pecans, the chocolate cream of French Silk pie. I was determined that if I ever got married, I would find a way to replace the expected giant, tiered, white (boring) cake with pie. Preferably my grandmother's pecan. This cake adventure and my (re)discovery of cupcakes, however, has since changed my tune. I would be willing to accept a cake... but only if it was the red velvet or the New Orleans chocolate or THE white cake from this book. My intense love for cupcakes would also make tiers of cupcakes an option. Although I haven't completely given up on pie. Mini pies perhaps? If tiers of mini cakes in the form of cupcakes work, surely tiers of mini pies would be just as good.

The cake from two weeks ago (I'm so behind, again) might just provide a truce in the cake vs pie battle. A recipe from one of Dr. Robinson's good friends, Val's Boston Apple Cake is essentially an apple pie in cake's clothing. It's delightfully simple, one of those throw everything in a bowl, mix, pour in pan/pie plate, and bake kind of cakes. There's just enough dough to be considered a cake, but it's full all the way through with apple slices, nuts, and raisins, providing enough filling to appease the pie lovers. Tastes like apple pie, with a texture more like cake or a quick bread. And, most importantly, delicious.

The chapter containing this recipe is all about friendship, family, and spending time with people we truly want to spend time with. In that spirit, I took the cake over to Tim and Maureen's, and Chris joined us for an evening of chatting, Bones watching, and cake eating. We ate almost the entire thing... there were two small pieces (or one large, I suppose) left by the time I went home.

Perhaps the wedding pastry plan should be Boston Apple Cake cupcakes. Sounds like the best way to please cake eaters, pie eaters, and cupcake lovers alike!