Fall Fest

Welcome to Fall Fest Round-Up from Ever Ready

Treats, from apples to pumpkins to gingerbread, will be featured, along with some main dishes, fall salads, and even some ghoulish treats.

Let's get our Monday on with  Maple Apple Cake with Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce. 

Cook's Notes: This moist cake lasts 3 days on the counter or store in the refrigerator for it to last longer. Store-bought caramel or butterscotch sauce works as a topping, too. Since I live a distance from a grocery store I had to make my own topping.

Maple Apple Spice Cake

The recipe was adapted from carlsbadcravings.com 

Note I skipped the suggested cream cheese icing and used ice cream instead. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice mix or 3/4 teaspoon each of ground cloves, ground ginger, ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup 
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream
• 3 cups chopped apples (2 Granny Smith apples and 1 Honey Crisp) peeled and diced into 1/4” – 1/2” pieces
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:  

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease pan. 
• Mix spices in a large bowl add in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• With a stand or hand mixer, beat butter and sugar over medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. With the mixer running on medium speed, beat in maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla until well combined. Then, beat in eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears after each egg.
• Gradually add flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture in thirds, alternately with sour cream between each third, and beat until combined after each addition. Stir in apples and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a wood pick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.
  
  
  Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack or serve warm directly right out of the oven.
• Add ice cream and caramel sauce to each serving. I liked Butter Pecan Ice Cream. 

Caramel Sauce

Cook's Notes: Making a homemade sauce is an extra step, but I found the taste off the charts!! It can be made a day ahead, and leftovers can be refrigerated. This sauce has endless possibilities: it can be used over ice cream, cake, cheesecake, pretzel dip, and apple dip. It's enough for six servings. 

Ingredients;

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, diced 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high-heat-resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon. As you continue to stir, the sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid. Be careful not to burn.
• Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.
• Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2 minutes. If you notice the butter separating or if the sugar clumped up, remove from heat and vigorously whisk to combine it again. (If you’re nervous for splatter, wear kitchen gloves. Keep whisking until it comes back together, even if it takes 3-4 minutes. It will eventually– just keep whisking. Return to heat when it’s combined again.)
• Very slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble when added. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.
• Remove from heat and stir in salt. Allow to slightly cool down before using. Caramel thickens as it cools.
• Cover tightly and store for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to desired consistency.