North Carolina is a big apple state, and it’s an area also known for delicious baked goods. It makes sense that bakers work to perfect sweet treats featuring apples. Most of this experimenting and eating is done in home kitchens, but about a quarter of a century back, several bakers got together and began making apple baked goods in a bakery out of Kannapolis, North Carolina.
Apple Uglies Turn Out to Be a Hit
The signature product, the Apple Ugly, was so popular that The Apple Baking Company quickly outgrew the bakery space and relocated to Woodleaf, North Carolina, which is a rural community outside of historic Salisbury, NC. The company remains in production with more than 10 million Apple Uglies and other treats sold in 2010.
Why Are These Baked Treats Called Uglies?
In the South, people tend to call a spade a spade. The joke was that the delicious apple treats were rather ugly, since they are lumpy and each one is unique in appearance. The joke was that they were ugly, and the name stuck.
The Uglies are made with strings of dough. If that’s hard to picture, then think of funnel cake but with thicker batter and a doughier texture. They are similar to honey buns but not as uniform as far as the final product.
Beyond Apple Uglies
Although the Apple Ugly is the original in the line, there are a variety of Uglies now ranging from blueberry to chocolate chip. The Apple Baking Company also makes cakes. They have a classic Pound Cake and a variety of crème cakes, including a new Cheerwine Cake that features the local Cheerwine soft drink made in Salisbury.
Products, including the Uglies, feature frosting. It’s a thin drizzle type frosting, more of a glaze.
Where Can You Find Apple Uglies?
Apple Uglies and other Uglies and the cakes (by the slice) are most often found in country and convenience stores, often at the check out counter. Locally, people often buy full or half cakes or Uglies by the box. They are also available online through the company website.
Good Neighbor – Apple Baking Company
The Apple Baking Company has that small-town feel and spirit. They hire locals, including teens or kids just out of high school. You can find many in the area who speak fondly of making Uglies at some point.
The company also supports local groups and projects. Many Boy Scouts remember camping trips where Uglies were the dessert after a campfire dinner.
Cyndi Allison - Southern born and fed, Cyndi Allison is a college lecturer and newspaper advisor as well as being a freelance writer. She writes on ...
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