Rustic Apple Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce

Cook's Notes: The next time you go apple picking make this one-bowl rustic apple cake your top priority once you get home. The secret ingredient: apple butter—not to be confused with applesauce. Apple butter is thicker and more concentrated in flavor.)  It adds moisture, a little spice, and the perfect amount of sweetness to balance the toasty crunch from the walnuts and tartness of the apples. And as if it  couldn't get much better, try a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2024/11/book-club-notes.html

with a scoop of ice cream. The recipe is pantry-friendly, which is a real plus. No mixer is needed; just a whisk and a spoon will do. The recipe was adapted from Ree Drummond

Rustic Apple Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce 

Ingredients:

• Non-stick baking spray (with flour)
• 2/3 c. light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 c. apple butter
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice mix 
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups chopped). I used 1 Granny Smith and 1 Honey Crisp. 
• 1/2 c. chopped toasted pecans

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, prepare a 9-inch round baking pan with non-stick baking spray, and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, apple butter, melted butter, and vanilla until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until just combined. Add the apples and pecans and fold in with a rubber spatula to incorporate. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Use a sheet of wax paper to press the batter down in the pan, as it is a thick batter. 
• Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 26 minutes.
• Cool in the pan for 30 minutes before serving. 

Baking tip: The cake is very moist and should be loosely covered. It tastes the best on the day it is made.

 

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