Autumn Apple Cake

Well first of all, let me just say I make no apologies for my love of cake. It's my favorite dessert, I can pass up pie or cookies or other sugary things all day long. But set a piece of cake down in front of me and I am all over it, unless it's covered in some gluey substance made of shortening and sugar. I dislike most kinds of frostings, and if I use one I will usually melt it down to a glaze or sauce and use much less of it. So I'm always on the lookout for cakes that don't require a typical frosting.

It's autumn and I had a surplus of apples, so I went hunting for an apple cake recipe. This one caught my eye because I'm also a huge fan of cinnamon, and because it uses only 1/2 cup of oil. I won't make a cake that uses more than that. Honestly, this cake is so moist you might be able to get away with 1/3 cup.

I would like to credit the original poster of the recipe but unfortunately I can't. It was just a random recipe I found which was not credited to anyone or even a certain recipe site. But it's fabulous and I wanted to share it.

Autumn Apple Cake

3/4 cup light brown sugar firmly packed

1/2 vegetable oil

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 medium apples cored and finely chopped

caramel topping

In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat together sugar, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Mix in the milk, flour, baking powder and salt, blending well. Stir in apples, reserving 1/4 cup of them for the topping. This makes a very thick batter which looks more like a quick bread. Spray a 8 inch square pan with cooking spray and spread in the batter. bake at 350 35-45 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a knife into the center, if it comes out clean the cake is done. (Don't be afraid to bake longer if needed, this cake is so dense it may need more baking time).

Caramel topping

1/2 cup light brown sugar packed

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup finely chopped reserved apples

put all ingredients except vanilla into small sauce pan and heat until a low simmer is reached. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes on a very low simmer, stirring often. Remove from heat and add the vanilla stirring in quickly. Spoon the apples over the cake and drizzle with about half the sauce. (You could poke some holes with a fork into the cake if you wanted). For best results serve warm with a spoonful of the still warm sauce.

This cake is awesome with some cinnamon coffee. It was a big hit at my house, even with the chocolate fanatic I live with.

(How do you like my beat up old tin pan)