Joanne Johnson from Fort Bragg, Calif., was looking for a recipe for an apple kuchen. Her grandmother used to make this and, unfortunately, Johnson failed to get her recipe before she passed away. She said she has found and tried several recipes for apple kuchen but has had little success re-creating one she liked as well as her grandmother's.

Most recipes for traditional apple kuchen are rather time-consuming and involve mastering sweet yeast dough. Andrienne Greatorex from Winchester, Va., sent in a recipe for an apple kuchen which appears to have come from the back of a Betty Crocker cake mix. The recipe uses a yellow cake mix for the dough in place of a yeast dough. While this may not be an authentic, German-style apple kuchen, it is very delicious and contains all the key ingredients - sliced apples, cinnamon, eggs and sour cream - of the time-honored dessert.

Thanks to the cake mix, the whole thing comes together in no time at all. Serve it warm, right out of the oven, and I'm sure no one will be disappointed.

Requests

* Emma Hamil of Iola, Texas, would like to find a recipe for a custard pie that had Grape Nuts cereal in it.

* Peggy Everett from Salisbury is looking for a recipe for a fish chowder that she saw in the paper about 2 years ago. It contained chopped potatoes, a firm fish, crab meat, either shrimp or scallops and wine.

If you are looking for a recipe or can answer a request, write to Julie Rothman, Recipe Finder, The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278, or e-mail recipefinder@baltsun.com. Letters may be edited for clarity. Apple Kuchen

Makes: 12-15 servings

1/2

cup butter or margarine, softened

1

package yellow cake mix

1/2

cup flaked coconut

1

(20 ounce) can pie-sliced apples, well-drained, or 2 1/2 cups sliced, pared baking apples

1/2

cup sugar

1

teaspoon cinnamon

1

cup dairy sour cream

2

egg yolks or 1 egg

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut butter into dry cake mix until crumbly. Mix in coconut. Pat mixture lightly into an ungreased 13-by-9-by-2-inch oblong pan, building up a slight edge. Bake for 10 minutes.

Arrange apple slices on warm crust. Mix cinnamon and sugar together, sprinkle over apples. Blend sour cream and eggs; drizzle over apples (topping will not completely cover apples). Bake 25 minutes or until edges are light brown. Do not overbake. Serve warm.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 310 calories, 14 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 45 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 1 gram fiber, 52 milligrams cholesterol, 260 milligrams sodium

Note: Nutritional analyses in today's Taste section were conducted by registered dietitian Jodie Shields unless otherwise stated.