Apple Spice Cake
Throughout history spice cake has been evolving. Its origins trace back to ancient times, with versions found in Egyptian and Greek recipes. These used grains, honey, and spices. The Romans later added pepper and dried fruit.
During the Middle Ages, it changed from a sweetened bread to a dessert.
If you want to cheat, you can use a cake mix. Simply incorporate the apples before baking.
Generally flours are listed as being one of three types: bread, all-purpose, and cake. Bread flour is high in protein and can form gluten more easily. Cake is low in protein which will help make a tender crumbly texture. All-purpose falls between the two. While we often use all-purpose flour for many of the recipes here, technically cake flour would be better here. Fear not, all-purpose will still work.
Cake:
3 cups flour, sifted
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar, preferably dark
10 TBS butter, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
3 cups diced apples
½ cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, room temperature
Caramel Icing:
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3¼ cups powdered sugar sifted
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour 9×13-inch pan.
Sift flour into a large bowl.
Add white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Whisk together to combine.
In the bowl combine brown sugar, butter, applesauce, and buttermilk.
Beat until well mixed.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Beat well.
While mixing, gradually add dry to wet.
Mix until the batter is smooth.
Fold the apples into the batter.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool completely.
In a saucepan, melt butter.
Add brown sugar and bring to a boil.
Boil for exactly 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the milk and bring back to boiling.
Remove from heat immediately when it boils.
Add 2 cups powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread icing on cooled cake.
Allow icing to cool.
Mixer and add 1¼ cups powdered sugar or enough to get a spreading consistency.
Frost cooled cake.
enjoy