Well, actually one thing, really, but several sub-reasons. Namely, I tend to be a lazy cook. I like to make things that involve ingredients I tend have on hand, and sadly, apples are not generally one of those ingredients. It takes a lot of apples to make most things, and as I walk to and from the grocery store, buying copious quantities of apples just to have on hand is not something that is generally going to happen. Even when I do think about doing so, the best apples for baking/cooking are all the ones I'm allergic to (namely, every kind except macintosh and gala). This means that if I buy proper apples, I have to actually bake with them. I can't just give up on finding time and eat them, because I kind of like keeping my throat un-swollen shut. Also, recipes usually require apples to be peeled. I HATE peeling apples. It's sticky and messy and just a bother all around.
So you see, it's not that I dislike apples. I just don't get around to cooking with them unless it is for a specific purpose But shockingly, as I was trying to choose a cake to make as part of my rainy day baking spree, I realized that *GASP* I have everything on hand to make my favorite apple cake ever! I quickly find the recipe (courtesy of Martha Stewart), and confirm that yes, yes I do have it all! 2 lbs apples? Check! Sour cream? Check! (Well, plain yogurt, but close enough). Vanilla beans? Check! Apple cider? Check!
Clearly, with such an amazing coincidence of events (time plus ingredients), I *had* to make this cake. I decided to forgo the brown sugar Swiss meringue butter cream (partly because of the insane amounts of butter, partly because of the 5 egg whites, and partly because I lacked that much brown sugar). Instead, I opted for a simple cream cheese frosting, to which I added a dose of cinnamon. Since I was a little short on powdered sugar, I found myself a little short on frosting, especially for such a tall cake. I thought about what to do for the extra filling, and decided that there must be something to be made from the additional apple cider. A quick search later, and I had my answer: Apple Cider Caramel. I think I may have just found a way to make my favorite cake even better...
Oh, and one final note. Of course, this was not as smooth an operation as I had hoped. Have you ever seen the Wilton Bake Even strips? I had recently bought some, and decided to try them out. They do indeed work wonderfully. My cake layers rose up nice and tall and even.....and continued to rise and spill over the sides nice and evenly. Oops. Thankfully, I managed to scrape it out of the oven mid-baking, so I did not set off my smoke detector. The recipe says to use two 8" pans, but seriously, use three.
Okay, enough chatter. Ready for the cake?
Caramelized Apple Spice Cake from Martha Stewart
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and grated (4 cups)
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/4 cups pecan halves (5 ounces), toasted dark and finely ground in a food processor [I subbed almond meal]
- Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream [or other frosting of your choice]
- Apple Cider Caramel [optional, recipe below]
Put 1/2 stick butter into a large nonstick skillet. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into skillet, and toss in pod. Cook over medium heat until butter is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in apples, cider, and 1 cup granulated sugar. Raise heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are golden and translucent and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes [this took more like 20 for me]. Discard vanilla pod. Let cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter
Beat remaining 2 sticks butter, remaining 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, and the brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low. Beat in flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the sour cream and scraping bowl as needed. Add remaining 1/4 cup flour mixture to apple mixture, and toss. Fold in apple mixture and pecans.
Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until tops are dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack. Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen. Unmold cakes, and let cool, right side up, on rack. Once cooled, split cake layers. Fill the split layers with apple cider caramel, and assemble with frosting of your choice.
Apple Cider Caramel from Epicurious
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups apple cider [reduced from original 4 cups, per user review, and seemed to be a good call]
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
Place cider in heavy large skillet. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Boil cider mixture until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add sugar and butter. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes longer. [Took much longer, nearly 30 min]
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