Upside Down Apple Streusel Cake

My apple tree is EXPLODING!!!! Not in the sense that I need to call the Fire Department but in the sense that it is dropping apples EVERYWHERE! I think it is a crab apple tree although once we eat them they taste more like Granny Smith apples with Fuji apple skin. What to do with all these apples? The Fireman is demanding apple desserts. He looks at each apple like it is the beginning of every apple pie, apple cake, apple tort, apple apple apple. Uhhhh!!! I might need to sit down!

So I have bought out the reinforcements! All my recipes in the yellow box hidden up in the cupboard. Its the box that contains all the baking recipes. I try to never bring it down. That requires baking and baking gives me a headache....or a spare tire!

This quick bread is easy to make. Best made in a loaf pan but mine is MIA since the move. So I am making it in a Bundt pan and the streusel will just have to be on the bottom. This recipe has one tiny teaspoon of orange rum in it. Don't panic! It wont make the kids all drunk as the alcohol cooks off. (Don't mind my slurred words as I write this!) If you dont have any orange alcohol, vanilla extract is just fine. Not as fun but just fine.

Upside Down Apple Streusel Cake
1/2 c of room temperature butter
1 c sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk (dont have any? add 1 tsp vinegar to regular milk)
2 eggs
1 tsp Orange Rum
2 tsp baking powder
2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt (just a pinch)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups of finely diced apples (peeled and cored please) you could grate them
optional
1/2 cups of raisins or craisins
1 c of chopped nuts (my kids would be-head me if I put any of the optional items in)

Preheat oven to 350

This is an unfussy recipe. Combine all the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.

Add the apples and the optional items last.
Put into a greased bundt pan.
Cover with the Streusel topping

Streusel Topping
Combine the following
3 TB flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 TB butter
1 tsp cinnamon
and 1/3 cup nuts (very optional and I wont be using)
Use a fork to blend until it looks like crumbs. To be honest I always start with a fork and end up using my clean fingers. Licking fingers after you mix the streusel is completely optional.
Cover the cake with the streusel.
Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let cool ten minutes before attempting to turn out onto a pretty plate