Caramel Apple Cake
Ingredients:
- butter, room temperature - 1/2 cup
- sugar - 1 cup
- brown sugar - 3/4 cup packed
- eggs - 3
- vanilla extract - 1 tsp
- apple pie spice - 1 tsp
- cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
- flour - 2 cups
- buttermilk - 1 cup
- baking soda - 1 tsp
- white vinegar - 1 T
- Caramel sauce --
- sugar - 1 cup
- butter, cubed room temperature - 6 T
- heavy cream, room temperature - 1/2 cup
- Cinnamon apples
- apples, chopped - 5 - 6 large
- lemon juice - 2 tsp
- nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
- cinnamon - 1 T
- brown sugar - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
Instructions:
Line bottoms of 4 - 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper, grease the sides; set aside.
Prepare cake -- in a bowl, beat butter, sugar and brown sugars together for 2 - 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mix after each addition. Mix in vanilla, apple pie spice and cinnamon. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, mixing until combined. In second bowl, mix together baking soda and vinegar. Add vinegar mixture to batter, mix just until incorporated. Spread batter evenly between prepared pans.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 - 17 minutes. Remove cakes from oven, cool for 2 - 3 minutes, remove cakes from pans, place on cooling rack.
While cakes cool, prepare caramel -- place sugar in an even layer in the bottom of a large saucepan. Whisk over medium high until sugar has melted, about 5 minutes. (Sugar will lump together, but eventually melt.) Continue whisking until temperature reaches 350 degrees. WATCH CLOSELY. Sugar goes from nice caramel to burned VERY quickly. Remove caramel from heat, add butter. Whisk until melted and combined. Whisk in cream until incorporated. Cool caramel to room temperature.
Prepare apples -- in a saucepan, toss together apples, lemon, nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar. Add butter cook apples, for 25 - 30 minutes, stir often, or until at preferred softness. Remove from heat, place apples in a bowl for 30 - 40 minutes, until cool.
Cakes, caramel and apples need to be room temperature before assembling.
Assemble -- place one cake layer on cake plate. Spread 4 - 5 T caramel sauce over the top of the cake, allowing it to soak in. Spread 1/4 apples in an even layer on top of the layer of cake. Repeat with remaining layers of cake and apples. Drizzle caramel over top of cake.
