Apple cake is the perfect accompaniment to coffee and an excellent choice when company visits. If you're looking for a festive taste reminiscent of carnivals and autumn fairs, try your hand at making a caramel apple cake. Just bake the cake according to the directions below, and use caramel frosting.
Making Apple Cake
Apple cake takes many forms. Some cooks incorporate the apples into the batter, some make a cake and dump the apple mixture on the top, some like to dump the apples on the bottom and others make a sort of pineapple upside down cake, minus the "pine." Jewish apple cake is also popular because it includes orange juice, which makes a moist cake even moister.
The key is to use apples that are soft and will become tender early, thereby reducing the baking time and the chance of burning the batter.
Apples Up on Top Cake
Ingredients You Will Need:
Apple Mixture:
6 McIntosh apples, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
Cake Mixture:
3 cups white flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup applesauce
4 eggs, beaten
¼ cup orange juice (optional)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is heating, use a medium bowl to combine the chopped apples, cinnamon, sugar and pecans. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the white flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to this the sugar, applesauce, eggs, orange juice (or not) and vanilla. Mix to make a thick batter.
Prepare a tube pan by spraying non-stick vegetable oil into it. Pour one-third of the batter into the cake pan, and set aside.
Spread one-third of the apples and sauce over the batter evenly. Continue alternating the batter and apples until you are finished. The last layer should be the last of the apple mixture. Place the pan in the oven, and bake for about 80 to 90 minutes or until the apples on top are tender and the cake is sufficiently browned.
A great topping that will bring the look and taste of caramel to the cake can be found below.
Caramel Topping
Ingredients You Will Need:
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup butterscotch morsels (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil. Stir for about two minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat, and allow the topping to cool. Remove the cake from the tube pan, and drizzle the topping over it, making sure it drips down the sides.
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