Apple Spice Cake

A Jam Cake (recipe to come) is to my memories of Kentucky winter what an Apple Spice Cake is to my Kentucky fall. And with autumn right around the corner, this classic Apple Spice Cake, updated with a browned butter caramel sauce, has been on my mind.

Apple Spice Cake
yield: 1 ten-inch bundt cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt

1 cup oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
4 eggs

4 cups diced Granny Smith apples (about 3 medium-large apples)
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. To easily butter and flour a bundt pan, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a small bowl and combine it with 1 tbsp of flour. Brush the paste into the bottom and sides of the pan.

Peel the apples and quarter them. Remove the fragment of core from each quarter with a diagonal cut. Slice each quarter in half, lengthwise and dice the halves into even-sized cubes. Place the dices apples in a bowl of salted water (or lemon water) to prevent browning. Lightly toast pecans or walnuts in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, but leave the oven set to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat oil, apple sauce, and sugars until smooth. Add vanilla followed by the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the oil and sugar mixture. Mix to combine, and then add the remaining dry ingredients. Drain the apples and fold them in along with the pecans. Pour mixture in the prepared pan, spreading to evenly distribute and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted midway between the edge and center comes out clean. Personally, I have a darker bundt pan from Williams Sonoma. The cake baked in about an hour and twenty minutes at 325 degrees, so be aware and adjust cooking times based on your cake pan. 

Cool for 20 minutes in the pan before loosening the cake with a knife, inverting the cake, removing it from the pan, and allowing it to cool completely. Brush about half a cup caramel sauce over cake to make it look glossy and beautiful. Serve the rest along side.

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Sauce
yield: about two cups of caramel

4 tbsp of butter

2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup water

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp finely ground sea salt
1 tbsp bourbon? Sure, why not.

Begin by browning the butter in a saucepan. Set aside to cool. In the same pan (if you're bold and confident in your caramel-making abilities) place the sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Swirl the pan intermittently to prevent scorching and encourage even browning. After about 6-7 minutes at a steady boil, the mixture should be golden. Continue to boil for another minute or two until the mixture is a deep amber. Deep amber is the goal regardless of how long it may take to get there, but be watchful.

Remove from heat. Add in the cream all at once. The mixture will spit and sputter and be all kinds of angry; just whisk it until it calms down. Add in the sour cream, salt, and reserved brown butter. Whisk to combine. Feel free to add a tbsp of bourbon if you're feeling extra frisky. Cool the mixture or refrigerate until ready to use. This can be made two days in advance. Warm slightly before pouring over cake.