A new apple cake recipe

I have been a little silent this week because I have been a little under the weather and tired from Christmas shopping, working and also from partying with my garden club friends. On Monday the Crossroads Garden Club had a very nice Christmas party and the food was incredible. I couldn't believe the spread. Every bit of it was simply delicious. I should know because I tried at least one bite of everything--except for my cake. I was just too full to try it that night.

The amazing thing about our party was that everyone brought something different. That sounds just impossible to me. I would have expected a duplicate item but there wasn't even one on the table.

But back to the subject, I have a new cake recipe. I have probably mentioned before that I have searched for years for an apple caramel cake recipe.

Years ago, a very nice lady from Fayetteville, a cake guru, sold cakes from her kitchen. I ordered her apple caramel cake every holiday season and would still be buying cakes from her but ... some terrible person reported her to the authorities and since she didn't have a license to bake and really didn't want one, her kitchen was closed. I am certain that everyone who ever purchased one of those heavenly confections has mourned her kitchen's closing. I know I have and I have been searching for a recipe similar to hers ever since.

At Thanksgiving, I made a gluten-free version and it was pretty good. The frosting wasn't easy to make but was good. It motivated me to bake an non-gluten free cake for our Christmas garden club party.

I was given a new caramel frosting recipe by my friend Angela who found it in a new book I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. The book's author, Kathryn Greely shared her recipe online at this link: www.kathryngreelydesigns.com. Angela tried the recipe at Thanksgiving and her guests really raved about it. I had to then try the icing and it was very good.

Here is my version of Apple/Caramel Cake. People at the party really loved it and I don't think it quite matched the cake I remember from the Fayetteville super cake baker, but it was a pretty good second and much easier that hers, I'll bet.

Apple/Caramel Cake

6 small apples, peeled and diced (I used Fuji)
1 cake mix (I used the Duncan Hines Yellow with the pudding in the mix but any kind of cake mix would work)
Add the regular ingredients called for on the back of the cake mix box (My mix called for 3 eggs, 1 cup of water and oil.)
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Peel and dice 5 small apples. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line 3 nine-inch cake pans with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl add the dry ingredients and mix the cake according to the instructions on the box. Add cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the diced apple and stir until well-mixed. Divide batter between cake pans and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until cake is done. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool.

Caramel Icing

2 sticks butter
1 16-ounce box of light brown sugar (I used 2 1/4 cups of light brown sugar tightly packed which was half of a 2 pound bag.)
1 pinch of salt
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 cups Confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
1 cup pecans, finely chopped

In a large saucepan add the butter, sugar, salt and milk and cook on medium high until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow to boil for 4 minutes and continue to stir. Remove from heat and pour in vanilla flavoring. Add Confectioner's sugar and use a hand mixture to mix until all is incorporated. Add chopped pecans and stir by hand until well-mixed. Icing will need to be used immediately because it sets up quickly. If icing becomes hard, smooth with a spatula dipped in very hot water.

That's it! Enjoy. This is yummy.