Apple cake with caramel sauce

A rich, delicious treat that wows every time!

Every time I serve this cake, people rave about how moist it is AND how much they love the caramel sauce. Note that you’ll need 3-4 large apples; I like to use medium-tart apples like McIntosh; Granny Smith would also be good. A second note: I’ve crafted the quantities for this recipe so you can easily scale it down to make an 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) pan (use 2/3 of the ingredients listed) or an 8×4 inch (20×10 cm) loaf pan (use 1/3 of the ingredients listed). If you enjoy baked goods with apples, I highly recommend these delicious apple cider muffins with streusel topping – they’re also stellar.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable or other neutral oil (or use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup melted butter)
• 2 cups (200 g) granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups (375 g) peeled and diced apples
• 1 cup (100 g) toasted pecans (or praline pecans), chopped

Caramel Sauce:

• 1/3 cup (76 g) butter
• 3/4 cup (160 g) brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) heavy cream or half-and-half

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×13 inch (22.5×32.5 cm) baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat together the oil (or oil and melted butter), sugar, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
• In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, stirring just until just incorporated without over mixing (batter will be very thick). Finish the batter by gently folding in the diced apples.
• Transfer the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly. Scatter nuts over top, pressing gently into the surface of the batter with a spoon or your clean hands.
• Bake the cake, uncovered, on the middle oven rack for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Let cake cool to just warm or even room temperature before serving.
• While cake is baking (or cooling), make the caramel sauce by combining in a saucepan the butter, brown sugar and salt. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk the mixture frequently while butter melts. Once butter is melted, whisk in cream.
• Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat slightly, letting it boil gently for 2 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove pan from heat and let sauce cool slightly. If making ahead, transfer to a heatproof jug or jar (so you can reheat the sauce later in the microwave).
• Slice the cake into small serving pieces (it is quite rich), drizzling each one with caramel sauce. Add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if you like.
• Note that leftover cake can be kept, tightly covered, for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature (or warm in microwave) before serving. Leftover cake also freezes well.

Serves 12 or more.