Apple Bread in a Can

Every fall when I work up apples, I dig up an old recipe that is tried and true, and makes for delicious eating--Apple Bread made in coffee cans. So here is the recipe---

4 cups peeled, chopped apples
1 cup chopped nuts (I have used pecans or English walnuts)
2 cups sugar

Combine apples, nuts and sugar and mix well. Let stand for 1 hour, stirring frequently. DO NOT DRAIN.

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Combine flour, soda, salt and spices in a large bowl. Add the apple mixture, stirring well. Stir in butter, vanilla and eggs.

Take two one-pound coffee cans and tie a 2 inch aluminum foil collar around the tops of each. I fold the aluminum foil over into a double thickness to make the collar stronger. I spray the insides of the cans with Baker's Joy (baking spray with flour). Spoon the batter carefully into each can, and set the cans on a baking sheet. I have learned that the butter seeps out of the cans during baking, so that protects your oven from spills.

Bake at 325 degrees for one hour and 15 minutes. Check for doneness with a long cake tester! Remove from oven, let cool upright for 10 minutes on cooling rack. Carefully remove the bread from the cans (I gently ease them out sideways) and continue to let cool, this time bread on its side, on the cooling rack. If you want to freeze it, wrap a loaf with saran wrap, then slide it into a freezer ziploc. This bread freezes well for later use. OR you can slice into round slices and dollop with your favorite ice cream. This makes two fabulous apple loaves!