We Bake to Remember.. Big Apple Cake and Caramel Apple Muffins

Photo I took the summer of 1996 while visiting New York

Yummy note: Marla of Family Fresh Cooking has asked the blogging community to join her and others in baking a remembrance cake to remember all those who lost their lives in the life changing events of 9/11/2001. So in a tribute, I made a Big Apple Cake and Caramel Apple Muffins in honor of all. 

Some days, I can't remember where I last placed my phone, and that literally was like ten minutes ago. But then again, there are some things we are meant to never forget. Ten years ago...I graduated from college, got engaged, and I moved away from home. Ten years ago, I recall exactly where I was that morning of September 11, at 7:46 a.m. I was in my normal work routine of the day, sitting in traffic on the expressway, listening to the radio, just within miles of the Chicago O'Hare Airport.. I am pretty sure I know where exactly on the expressway I was, as I think everyone else around me did too, when we heard the news a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center Towers in New York City. Working in a suburb close to O'Hare, it was typical busy with sounds of plane after after plane flying over, that day though, it was such an eerily silence. The only thing we seemed to hear that day was the sonic boom of one of the military fighter jets that shook the building we were in. Recalling that day, it was just crazy to think that our United States of America was being attacked... listening to the horrific events unfold on news radio and catching the events on the internet and later when I got home from work, all seemed unreal. No matter where you were that day in history, you were touched by these events...all I can do is look back and just thank God that everyone I personally knew was safe...and pray for and honor those who gave their life that day. 
/~ Please join us in remembering all of those who were lost on 9/11, and bake a remembrance cake, post about it and link your remembrance post here and check out the others on Marla's site.

Big Apple Cake and Caramel Apple Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs (beaten)
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups peeled and chopped apples
optional: 1 cup chopped nuts or caramel bits

Directions:
Beat eggs together and add in sugar and oil. In separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Then add dry mixture to liquid mixture. Next, add in vanilla, chopped apples, and optional nuts/caramel bits to dough. I split my dough in half, and added caramel bits to the one half for muffins, while I left the other half of the dough for a simple apple cake. Bake in two prepared loaf pans, or bake in muffin tins. Sprinkle top with sugar and bake in preheated 350 degree oven. If baking the cake, bake for about 1 hour. If baking the muffins, bake for about 25-30 minutes. 

Caramel Apple Muffins