Grandma Melvina's Cinnamon Apple Cake

My Great Grandmother Melvina Palmer Wineinger (Oct 10, 1867 – Sept 24, 1962)

By Monty F Wineinger

I was reminded of my great grandmother Mel the other day when Marie Keeton, my dad’s cousin, called my mom and wondered if she had the recipe for great grandma Melvina’s cinnamon apple cake.  

My first recollection of my great grandmother was going to Mel’s house with my dad to check on her back in the late 50’s.  I must have been about 9 years old.  She lived in Greenville, on Pine Street, right across from East Mount Cemetery.   Her husband, William had passed away in 1946, and she was living alone.   Due to her health and age, it was decided to move Mel in with my grandparents, Huey and Hester Wineinger, who lived next door to my parents.   Mel had a bed room there of her own and spent most of her time there rocking in her rocking chair, reading or looking out the window.  

I remember going to see Grandma Mel in her bedroom.  She always would give me a reward or treat for coming to see her.  Typically, it would be a vanilla wafer cookie, on a lemon gumdrop.   Sometimes mom would give me something to take to Grandma Mel for her, and I would always have to wait while she dug out a cookie or lemon gumdrop from her closet.

During late 50s era, weather forecasting is not what it is today.   Local television stations did not have weather radar to warn of severe storms.  So, you were kind of on your own in predicting severe weather and tornadoes.   My father built a storm house between our house and my grandmother’s house next door.  I remember during severe weather, my grandfather (Huey) would stand on top of the storm house and watch the clouds.   Grandfather knew allot about weather (typical of farmers of that era) based on his years of experience of watching weather.  I remember most of our country neighbors (from up to miles away) would show up to our storm house during severe weather.  Everyone would stand around and on top of the storm house until grandpa Huey would site a “bad cloud “(a wall cloud), and declare it is time to go into the storm house (shelter).   We all would pack in like sardines, standing room only.   My memories of the storm house are: the damp musty smells, light provided kerosene lamp, jars of canned goods on the shelves, and my grandfather, dad, and uncles, and neighborhood men peering out the door until the storm passed.  Grandpa would then declare all clear safe to return to everyone’s home.

Well, almost everyone would go to the storm house, except for Mel.   Mel had strong opinions and religious views and was a member of a Primitive Baptist church back in Virginia before moving to Texas.  Mel would never go to the storm house choosing to remain in her bedroom.   Mel would laugh and scoff at those of us who went to the storm house “If it’s your time, and the Lords wants you, he can get you down there in the storm house.”

Grandma Mel always had a raw egg everyday for breakfast.   I would watch grandma Hester prepare it for her.  She would crack an egg into a coffee cup; add salt and pepper, and about a half of an ounce of vinegar.  Grandma Hester would say: “take grandma her egg.”   I hated this as I had a weak stomach, and watching Grandma Mel tilting her head back and seeing that raw egg slide down would cause me to gag!  I could not stand the sight of this.   So, my idea was to hand her the cup, and get out of her room, before she could drink it down.  I walked in to Grandma Mel’s room “Grandma here is you egg” and handed her the cup.  I turned quickly to leave, but she grabbed me by the wrist, so I could not leave, and she downed the egg.   She held on to me until she gave me my reward for bringing her egg, a vanilla cookie!

So maybe a raw egg a day is healthy, she almost lived to 95 years.

My dad’s brothers and sisters always thought of grandma Melvina’s cinnamon apple cake a real treat.   Here is the recipe:

 Grandma’s Dried Apple Cake (Melvina Wineinger)

As recalled by Cordeallia Wineinger

·        4 Cups Flour

·        4 Teaspoons Baking Powder

·        1 Cup Shorting

·        ½ Teaspoon Salt

·        2 Cups Sugar

·        2 Eggs

·        ½ Cup Milk

·        2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Mix all ingredients and beat until smooth.  Roll out onto dough board.   Using a plate as a guide, cut out the dough to fit a cake pans.   Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. 

·        2 packages of Dried Apples

·        Oil of Cinnamon

·        Sugar

Cook apples until tender.   Mash until smooth.   Add sugar and oil of cinnamon to taste.  Put apple mixture on each layer.   Wrap with plastic wrap and let stand for an hour, to allow mixture to be absorbed into cake.

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