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It’s fall! Time for pumpkins and apples and all my other favorite seasonal ingredients that get blended with sugar and spice to make even more delicious treats.

Caramel apples are one of those seasonal foods that I look forward to, but (believe it or not) think are too much bother to make myself. This cake, on the other hand, is easy to mix up and tastes amazing.  It takes a while to bake, but I guarantee it works great as potpourri while it goes. 🙂

It’s best with tart apples, but I don’t mind using ones that are ugly for things like this – easier to buy them cheaper at the farmer’s markets when you can get them fresh but buy “seconds” for saucing and projects like this. Or grocery store apples that have been bouncing around in the bottom of the fruit drawer getting slightly bruised. Totally awesome for this. Or for homemade applesauce.

This recipe is one we frequently do for birthdays, since I like cakes that are rich in flavor but don’t require fussy frosting. Just drizzle on some purchased caramel sauce and you’re set to go!

Caramel Apple Cake

• Servings: 12-16 servings
• Time: 20-30 min. prep, 1½ hour baking
• Difficulty: easy
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One of my favorite foods of all time - rich, thick batter bakes up into one of the most aromatic, delicious cakes I've ever tasted

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3  eggs
• 3 cup flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 cup diced peeled apples
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• caramel sauce (to drizzle over for garnish)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine oil and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine dry ingredients; add to batter and stir well. It will be an extremely thick batter – that’s fine, it will cook into a moist cake.

Peeling and chopping the apples is the time-intensive part of this. It’s up to you if you care about the peel, honestly – it might get stuck in teeth, but then again you might not care.

Or you can practice your Meg Ryan impression from Sleepless in Seattle, trying to get one long spiral out of the apple to impress a man who misses his late wife. I think that’s what happened, anyway:

Fold in apples, walnuts (if you’re using them), and vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured 10″ tube pan. Bake at 325º for 1½ hrs. or until cake tests done. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Drizzle caramel sauce over the cake, sprinkle with nuts if you like, and serve!

P.S. It tastes awesome warm with a nice dollop of ice cream. We had it with this pumpkin ice cream once – SO GOOD!