Eva, a member of our graphics team, has fond memories of this cake. "Fall reminds me of Grandma Maynard. She made her slab apple cake after we went to the Farmers Market to get freshly picked apples. She used a variety of tart and sweet apples, and the cake was always fabulous. Even though Grandma has been gone for many years, the memories of this cake still make me smile."

Put beaten egg yolks in a 1 cup measuring cup and fill with water to the 1 cup line. In a roomy bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening. Add the egg yolk/water mix and stir just until incorporated. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, CINNAMON and NUTMEG and set aside.

Preheat oven to 450°. Divide the dough in half. Roll half out to fit a 16½ x 12½ inch cookie sheet. Place rolled-out dough on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with half of the vanilla wafer crumbs. Spread half of the apple slices on top of crumbs. Sprinkle the rest of the vanilla wafer crumbs on top of the first layer of apple slices. Top with the rest of the apple slices. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar/nutmeg on top of second layer of apple slices. Roll out second half of dough large enough to cover bottom layer of dough and apple filling. Lightly moisten perimeter of bottom layer of dough with water. Place second layer of dough on top of bottom layer of dough and apples. Seal the two layers of dough and crimp. Make a few small slits in the top crust to let steam escape. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. The apples will still be slightly firm. Combine the powdered sugar and water to make a glaze. Pour the glaze over the cake while the cake is still warm but NOT hot.

Prep. time: 90 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 24