We will say goodbye to summertime this week as we walk our boy through the gates to the playground on his first day of kindergarten.
When the bell rings, he will find his place in the line of shiny new backpacks and white for a day Velcro shoes. I hope he introduces himself politely, just like I’ve shown him, and I hope he makes two friends before he enters the double doors.
A stream of fresh haircuts and tight braids will file past my classroom, following their teachers down to the rooms with numbers they’ve forgotten. He will hear his first morning announcements, stand for the pledge for the first time, and will finally join the big kids at school.
Of course, I hoped this day would come, as all mothers do, but there is grief in it. In preparation for this day, we decided it was time to cut his long golden hair, and when those 8 inches of yellow silk fell, he transformed in my eyes. I could suddenly see how much my baby had grown. With pain and pride, I acknowledged the changing of the seasons of his life, and of mine. It is time for both of us to be brave, to hold our chins up and step forward, hand in hand, toward the next phase of our journey together.
My sister calls this time of year “apple season,” when the leaves of summer are spotted and the tall grasses collapse under the weight of their age. Sometimes it feels like I might collapse under the weight of my own, but then I remember that the sky isn’t quite blue yet in the day of his life, and I take comfort in knowing I still have some time to marvel at his sunrise.
My kindergartner helped himself to apple bits from my bowl while I prepared the cake batter for our apple cinnamon coffee cake. This sweet, spiced cake is topped with streusel and would pair wonderfully with a latte as a breakfast treat or vanilla ice cream for dessert. My recipe makes a small cake, so double up if you want to make enough to share with the class.
Apple cinnamon coffee cake
Ingredients:
For the streusel
4 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar
For the cake
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup half-and-half
For the apple filling
1 ½ cups sweet apples, peeled, small dice
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ tablespoon butter, cold and cubed
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 square baking pan.
Make the streusel by whisking together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then cut in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture has a sand-like texture. Set aside.
Combine the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in another bowl and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and half-and-half straight into the bowl and mix until the batter is free of lumps.
Pour a little more than half of the cake batter into the baking pan and spread flat.
Spread the seasoned apple out on top of that layer.
Top the apples with the rest of the batter, spread as much as you can to cover.
Sprinkle the streusel over the top in an even layer.
Bake immediately for 50-55 minutes, until a butter knife comes clean out of the center.
