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Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott


Recipe Introduction

"My mother made this cake each autumn, because we loved it and because it is the ultimate good traveler. Baked in a 13 by 9-inch pan, it yields a big, dense, and delicious rectangle of apples, nuts, and caramel-kissed glaze, one which won't budge from its foil-covered pan until you are good and ready to cut it. It's perfect for school lunches, leaf-viewing hikes, tailgate picnics, and potluck suppers. Like carrot cake, it calls for oil rather than butter, and requires only a quick stir to get it into the oven. You could also bake this cake in a tube or Bundt pan; add some cinnamon and nutmeg and make it more of an apple pound cake."

List of Ingredients

Fresh apple cake:
â—¦ 3 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cups sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ 3 eggs
â—¦ 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
â—¦ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
â—¦ 3 cups finely chopped apples
â—¦ 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Brown sugar glaze:
â—¦ 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
â—¦ â…“ cup butter
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ 2 tablespoons evaporated milk, half-and-half, or cream


Recipe

To make the cake, heat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 13 by 9-inch pan, or two 8- or 9-inch cake pans, round or square. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt, and stir with a fork to mix everything together well.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a wooden spoon or a mixer at low speed until pale yellow and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla, and beat well. Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon and continue stirring the batter just until the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts, stir to mix them into the batter until fairly uniform, and scrape the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake at 350° F for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown, springs back when touched lightly near the center, and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Place the cake on a wire rack or a folded kitchen towel.

Make the glaze while the cake is hot. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Spoon the glaze all over the hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely, and serve in squares right from the pan.

Serves 8 to 10