Shelly's Recipe

FRESH APPLE CAKE WITH CARAMEL GLAZE

Category: Cakes

Cake:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups chopped raw peeled apples, cut into 1-inch chunks, from 3 large apples
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp light brown sugar
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt or 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray, and dust the pan with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.

Place the sugars and oil in a large mixing bowl. Blend on medium-low until the mixture lightens, 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the batter and stir to combine using a wooden spoon. Fold in the apples, walnuts if desired, and vanilla.

Transfer the batter to the pan and place the pan in the oven. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 75 to 80 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 25 minutes, then invert onto one wire rack (for the Bundt pan), or then again onto another wire rack (for the tube pan), so that it is right-side up. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze.

Place the butter, sugars, cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Let the glaze boil for 1 minute, stirring, then remove the pan from the heat.

Poke a few holes in the top of the cake with a bamboo skewer or fork, and spoon the glaze over the warm cake. Let the cake cool completely before slicing.

Variation: Apple Cake Loaves: Pour the batter into 2 loaf pans and bake at 325 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes. After cooling, remove the loaves from the pan and glaze.