Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce – Recipe

Something admittedly refreshing about all the snowfall recently is the way it forces a person to slow down whether you really want to or not. As the last of the snow melts it's back to crazy busy around here but over the weekend the kitchen, a huge basket of apples and an old recipe were beckoning. Since what resulted ended up going over so well, I really wanted to share it with you too! If you love sweet, juicy apple flavor with salty caramel, toasted pecans and fluffy cake, you've got to try this Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce drizzled on top...

THE RECIPE >


Recipe:

Cake:
- 1/3 cup Crisco shortening
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 & 3/4 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tab apple jack (optional)

Topping:
- 1 cup peeled and diced apples
- 1 cup quick oats oatmeal
- 3 Tabs butter softened
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup of chopped pecans and walnuts

Salted Caramel Sauce:
- 3 Tabs butter
- 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (mine is smoked Kentucky Bourbon salt from The Spice Lab)

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a stand mixer, cream together softened shortening gradually with the sugar until fluffy and whipped. In another small bowl beat both eggs with vanilla and apple jack, if using, and incorporate into the creamed shortening sugar mixture. Combine the apple cider with the milk and alternate adding it with the flower to the mixing bowl, beating a bit in between. Add remaining ingredients and beat 1 more minute. Batter should be on the thicker side. Pour into greased and flowered sheet pan.

Topping:
Peel and dice apples and set aside, spritzing with lemon juice if desired.

Mix together oats, softened butter and cinnamon until everything is coated and incorporated.

Sprinkle apples on top of cake batter. Then the later of oat crumb topping and then finally the chopped nuts.

Gently tap pan on flat surface a few times to remove trapped air bubbles and put in the oven to bake for 40 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Salted Caramel Topping:
For a while now I've been making my caramel sauces in the microwave to save time and clean up as evening fits nicely in a glass measuring cup. Pours great too. For this sauce I added everything together and microwaved it first for 5 minutes, taking it out to stir well and then another 4 minutes. It will depend on your microwaves settings but doing it in 2 minute intervals and stirring in between works well too.

You want it to coat the back of a spoon and be a creamy medium brown color.  As it cools it will begin to thicken which is why it's good to wait until after the apple cake has come out of the oven and allowed to fully cool before making the sauce.

Drizzle the salted caramel sauce on top of the cake and you're done!

Image: mam for Gave That