Recently I was reviewing an excellent new cookbook, Sweetness: Southern Recipes to Celebrate the Warmth, the Love, and the Blessings of a Full Life. The book is full of mouthwatering desserts, and since I had apples sitting on my counter, I made Mama Reed’s Caramel Apple Cake with a few changes. The following Caramel Apple Cake is an adaptation of that recipe, and one that my family devoured. The cake is extremely moist, with a fantastic caramel frosting on top.

This cake isn’t especially pretty; in fact, it’s quite plain looking. However, the moistness and flavor make up for that. The caramel frosting is fabulous, and can be used on dozens of other cakes. Incidentally, Christy Jordan, the author of Sweetness publishes an excellent blog, Southern Plate; it’s loaded with great southern recipes.

24 Servings

Cake:
2 cups self-rising flour
3 medium apples, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons caramel coffee syrup, (optional)

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray a 9" x 13" glass baking dish liberally with non-stick spray.
3. Cake: Measure the flour, apples, eggs, brown sugar, vegetable oil, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl; turn the mixer to low and mix until well-blended, scraping the sides a few times during mixing.
4. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
5. Bake 25-35 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack while preparing the caramel frosting.
7. Pour the caramel coffee syrup (if using) over the top of the cake.
8. Frosting: Measure the butter, cream, and brown sugar into a saucepan.
9. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved; remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
10. Sift 2 cups of the powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl.
11. Pour the hot mixture over the powdered sugar, beating until well blended.
12. Add more powdered sugar as needed to make a spreadable consistency.
13. Immediately spread over the warm cake.
14. Serve warm or at room temperature. It's great served with high quality vanilla ice cream.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 225 Calories from Fat 80
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 36% Protein 3% Carb. 61%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 9 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 30 mg
Sodium 31 mg
Total Carbohydrate 34 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 2 g

Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 3% Calcium 0% Iron 4%