Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze, another of Scott Peacock’s gems! I’ve made this cake a lot – with the glaze, without the glaze, a gluten free version – it never disappoints! It’s moist, a good cake to feed a crowd at Thanksgiving, and amazing with a cup of coffee for breakfast. Oh come on, you can’t eat half a grapefruit or a bowl of oatmeal every morning!
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- The cake:
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- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
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- 1 cup granulated sugar
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- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
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- 3 eggs
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- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
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- 1 teaspoon baking soda
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- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
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- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
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- 1/2 teaspoon salt
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- 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
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- 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
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- 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
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- For the glaze:
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- 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
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- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
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- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
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- Pinch salt
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- 1/2 cup heavy cream
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1. For the cake – preheat oven to 325º. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. In a mixing bowl, beat both sugars and oil until very well-blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and gradually add to the sugar and eggs, mixing just until well-blended. Stir in the apples, pecans and vanilla and pour into pan.
3. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours (begin to check after 50 minutes), until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan while preparing the glaze.
4. For the glaze – in a saucepan, melt the butter. Add both sugars and salt. Stir until blended and cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in cream and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. With a skewer or toothpick, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Pour the glaze over the surface.
