Apple Cake with Warm Caramel Sauce

 

There are so wide varieties of apples available in stores and at farmers' markets these days that it can be challenging to choose apples for baking. In the past, a baker might have reached for sweet-tart Granny Smith apples without a second thought, but many different kinds of apples will work just as well, if not better, in baking pies, crisps, and other apple desserts.

Texture and taste are the two most important qualities to consider in a baking apple, and the apple that you like best for everyday snacking might not hold up when put into a pie. Apples need to retain their shape and not turn into applesauce during baking. The best apples will offer a little bit of resistance (keep a hint of crunch) even after a long time in the oven. Baking apples should also not be too sweet since most pie recipes require a fair amount of sugar. The sugar serves as flavoring and helps thicken the juices of the apples as they cook, and cutting it down to compensate for super-sweet apples can sometimes change the outcome of the final pie.

Granny Smiths are always a decent choice for pie, as they are easy to find, will hold up during baking and can take a lot of extra flavor from sugar and spices. Jonathan, Jonagold and Pippin apples are other excellent sweet-tart choices. Gravenstein, Braeburn, Fuji, and Pink Lady Apples are also crisp and sturdy. Despite their promising names, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious are not good choices for baking, and neither are Gala and Cortland since they tend to become mealy in pie fillings.

Choose a tart apple to bake this apple walnut cake. When served with warm caramel sauce, it is one serious bliss.  

Plain Apple Walnut Cake 
Choose a tart apple to bake this apple walnut cake. When served with a drizzle of warm caramel sauce or whipped cream, it's one serious bliss! See the photo below.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Saigon cinnamon or 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon each allspice and nutmeg
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces 
• 2 large tart apples (about 2-1/2 cups) peeled and chopped
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Prepared jar of caramel sauce with sea salt

Cake Directions:

• Grease a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.  
• Mix flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, spices, and baking soda in a large bowl.
• Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or pulse butter into the flour mixture a few times using a food processor.
• Stir in beaten eggs, vanilla, and chopped apples. Mix well. The batter will dry, but press it into the pan (it will be thick). Use a sheet of wax paper to press the batter down to spread out evenly in the pan.
• Bake for 28 minutes or until the apples are cooked. 
• Optional: Drizzle with warm caramel sauce.

P.S. A glass of cold milk really hits the spot with this cake!

Apple Walnut Cake with Crushed Nuts and Warm Caramel Sauce