Wacky Apple Cake with Apple Cider Vinegar

**I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Heinz Vinegar. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and as a thank you for participating.

We all have the usual staples in our kitchens – salt, pepper, flour, sugar, spices, and oils – but there is one that is overlooked quite often. It was only recently that I learned of the many uses for vinegar. Growing up, it was just a certain flavor of potato chips and a snacking drink of sorts for my mom. Now, I’ve always toyed around with cooking and baking but, even then, it was usually just your typical chocolate chip cookie recipe. Vinegar, Heinz Vinegar to be exact, is a whole new ball game. Are you ready to play?

After only discovering the bountiful uses of vinegar a short time ago, it is safe to say that I’ve officially dived in, head first. I never knew that there were so many options! From plain white vinegar and balsamic vinegar to more intriguing flavors like kiwifruit vinegar, beer vinegar, and apple cider vinegar, the possibilities are endless.  Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar is what I currently have in my own kitchen. Now, I’m not sure if it’s the fruitiness of it or the fact that I love just about all things apple cider, but this has become one of my new cooking secrets.

There are a ton of recipes out there including hundreds for different salad dressings. Many of the recipes for these can be found directly on the Heinz website. My favorite of the bunch has got to be the Berry Vinaigrette, of course, putting the Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar to good use.

Did you know that Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar also comes in an unfiltered version? The Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar is the mother of all inventions and, rightfully so, it is often referred to as the mother vinegar. But what is the difference?

Apple Cider Vinegar is clear and has a bit of a mellow flavor, similar to apple juice. With only 5% acidity, it is the perfect choice of vinegar for tasks like canning and pickling. Of course, it can also be used for cooking as well but I particularly love this kind for cleaning. Yes, really!

Now, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar is much darker for starters and actually resembles true apple cider. This is vinegar in its purest form. The easiest way to tell the difference is to look closely at its contents. If it looks like there is something floating around in the jar, do not be alarmed. This is the “mother.” Similar to tiny bits of apple, these chunks are actually the natural compound that is created during the fermenting process. I have found that this is the better choice of vinegar for cooking because of, both, its texture and flavor.

There are an endless amount of ways that you can use vinegar throughout your kitchen and home but here are my top ten favorite tips, tricks, and secrets.

1. Drink it! Drinking a shot of vinegar or adding some to your current beverage allows for better digestion, spikes your energy level, and even helps give you a little metabolism boost!
2. Canning. Stop buying canned goods at the store and start making your own. The Heinz website offers from great tips for canning, here.
3. Save your eggs! Simply adding 2 tbsp. of Heinz vinegar to your pot of water will keep your hard boiled eggs from cracking. This works wonders for when you’re making them in bulk for parties or egg dying.
4. Safe cleaning. Did you know that you can actually use vinegar to better clean all of your baby’s toys? A generous splash of vinegar added to regular soapy water is a great (and safe!) way to clean and sanitize toys for little ones.
5. Speaking of little ones… have you ever had a problem with stickers being stuck in the wrong places? Soaking the stubborn sticker for a few minutes with vinegar should allow it to easily peel off.
6. Let your chrome shine on! Making a paste of 1 tsp vinegar and 2 tbsp of salt will remove any lime scale buildup and, once again, get your chrome as shiny as it was when new.
7. Unclog and clean your drain! Forget buying pricey drain unclogging products. Simply pour one cup of baking soda and one cup of hot vinegar down the drain. Allow it to work its magic for five minutes or so and then rinse with hot water.
8. Keep grime and mildew out of your bathroom. Spray everything down with vinegar and wipe clean with a damp cloth.
9. Make a smoothie! The kids love this one from Heinz. With banana, peach, AND apple, how could you go wrong?
10. Bake a cake! Who doesn’t love cake? Check out my recipe below.

With the little ones, I try to keep most of our recipes as kid friendly as possible. The boys love helping me in the kitchen and I love the learning experience that it creates for them. This is one of our favorite cakes to make and, though I have no idea who the original creator was (these recipes surfaced around the time of the Great Depression and WWII), it is one that you can alter as you see fit to make it “yours.” Baking is typically all about following rules but, since this one is so malleable; its name is quite fitting – wacky cake! We’ve upgraded ours to a wacky apple cake!

Wacky Apple Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of flour
• 1 cup of white, granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. of packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. of baking soda
• 1 tsp. of cinnamon
• ½ tsp. of salt
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 5 tbsp. of canola oil
• 1 tbsp. of Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar (filtered or unfiltered)
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
• 1 apple, peeled, seeded, cored, and diced (I prefer Golden Delicious, Rome, or Granny Smith)
• 1 cup of cold water
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

First, preheat the oven to 350° before beginning.

Combine all of the dry ingredients into an ungreased 9” round baking pan. I like to run mine through a flour sifter to remove any unwanted clumps.

Poke three holes into the mixture, equal distances apart – this is the part that the kids love – and pour your wet ingredients into each hole. The first hole is designated for the canola oil, the second for the Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar, and the third for the vanilla extract. Slowly add in the cold water over the entirety and mix thoroughly.

Lastly, stir in the apples (you could add nuts to this step as well if desired), and bake for 35-45 minutes or until done.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar, slice, and serve warm. If you want to get really fancy, this is amazingly decadent alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Now, to think that all of this came about after the simple idea to bring Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar into the kitchen… it’s amazing, right? This entire recipe was actually free for me to make because the collection of ingredients are staples that most (if not all) of us already have on hand.

BUY:
You can purchase Heinz vinegar at your local supermarkets as well as some of the bigger chain stores such as Wal-Mart. With a shelf life, even after being opened, of five years (yes, years!), Heinz vinegar will certainly last you for many uses.

CONNECT:
You can find Heinz Vinegar on Pinterest to keep up with them for more creative uses, delicious recipes, and wonderful drinks.

As a kitchen staple for many and with uses that extend way beyond those in the kitchen alone, Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar is one of my favorite do-it-all products available. So, have you tried it yet? If not, what are you waiting for?