Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert, Cake, Fruit
Cuisine: American, French, Fall
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
This simple cake can be put together in minutes. Enjoy it with the caramel sauce as suggested below or on its own with a dollop of softly whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Ingredients
  • FOR THE CAKE:
  • ¾ c. All-Purpose Flour
  • ¾ tsp. Baking Powder
  • pinch of Salt
  • ½ tsp. Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. freshly grated Nutmeg
  • 2 Eggs
  • ¾ c. Sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. Brandy
  • ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing the pan
  • 4 large Apples (I used 2 Granny Smith and 2 Fuji), peeled and diced into ½-1 in. chunks
  • FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE:
  • ½ c. Sugar
  • ¼ c. Water
  • 3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
  • ¼ c. Heavy Cream
  • ¼ tsp. Kosher or Sea Salt
  • TO SERVE:
  • Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, or Crème Fraîche
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Thoroughly butter a springform pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and frothy. Beat in the brandy and vanilla.
  3. Stir half of the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add half of the melted butter, stir, then add the remaining flour, followed by the remaining butter. Fold the apples into the batter and transfer the batter-coated apples to the prepared pan.
  4. Set the springform pan on a baking sheet (your guests will NOT be impressed when they walk into a smoke-filled house and the fire alarm is going off–trust me!) and bake until the center of the cake is set and a tester comes out clean. Mine took about 1 hour, 10 minutes, but I’d start testing around 50 minutes as baking times are likely to vary based on the size/moisture content of your apples.
  5. Let the cake cool for a few minutes in the pan, then run a knife around the edges, and remove the springform. Allow to cool slightly, then serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or crème fraîche and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
  6. While the cake bakes, make the caramel. Place the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk to dissolve. Cook until the mixture become dark amber in color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, then slowly stir in the cream and salt. Drizzle over cake. Any leftover sauce can be refrigerated and reheated in a water bath to a pourable consistency.
Recipe by strawberryplum at http://www.strawberryplum.com/apple-cake-with-caramel-sauce/