I know I know, I just did a recipe for a cake… and it too had apples in it. But I can’t help myself!!!! It’s Fall and apples are in season and they are totally delicious this time of year and they go so well with spices and cake and and and… you love me and will forgive me for being a wee bit repetitive. I just know you will!

You will won’t you? You’re not currently changing your bat channel are you?

Get back here young lady!! Erhmmm, no, I wasn’t meaning to insult your manhood sir. Though I’d like you to stay too. Yes, I know your wife thinks you are very manly.Yes, those are wonderful biceps. Sir, put your shirt back on please.

My husband is manlier though. He carried a tree out of our forest today. All by himself. One handed. He even grunted and said “Ugh. Me man, you woman. Cook me a whole Elk, wench”. Ok, no he didn’t and if he had, I probably would have beaned him upside the head with one of the heavy branches I was toting. I’d have made a terrible submissive cave woman. I’d have been the cavewoman berating her hubby for not killing a larger Mammoth. “Whadda ya mean, your spear broke!? I’ve said time and time again that you don’t pay attention to spear upkeep and this was gonna happen! Now what am I gonna do with this tiny 1500 pound Mammoth!? All the OTHER husbands get bigger ones! How can I show my face at the Junior Cavewomans League NOW?!”

But really… he carried a tree. Maybe it wasn’t big but I was impressed. I even swooned a little and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t from his pit smell.

Then I came home and cooked Mammoth  this cake. He deserved it. For the tree thing, not the smelly pits. And cause he likes apples. See? It’s all HIS fault I’m posting another apple cake. It had nothing to do with the fact that I like spice cake and had apples I needed to use up.

Seriously though (I hear you saying “yeah, right, Janet. YOU? Serious?) this is yummy! I told all of you that I was going to post things for your Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Day of Any Worship/ whatever/ table and so I am. I mean, I’m the first person to go grabbing a Pecan or Pumpkin pie or twelve and eating every bite as I growl at anyone who ventures near me but I wanted to give you some choices that aren’t necessarily the normal holiday fare. This fits that bill quite well.  It’s a one layer spice cake that is redolent of Autumn and makes your house smell fantastic. It has a layer of caramelized apples on top a la upside down cake. It’s then served with the caramel that you didn’t use for the apples. Can we say “OMG”?

This isn’t hard to make at all. I’ve made it a gazillion times over the years. The hardest part is the homemade caramel and slicing all the apples. I don’t know about you but I HATE slicing apples. It’s a testament to my love for desserts like this that I do it at all. It’s originally a recipe from Epicurious.com and I haven’t really changed it a whole lot. I’ve added more spice and added a bit of vegetable oil because originally the cake was a bit dry. Otherwise, it’s the same recipe they have up. If you like apples, caramel and spice cake you sooooo have to try this.

Winter Spice Cake With Caramelized Apples

• 13 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 6 medium Golden Delicious apples (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled, cored and cut into 6 wedges
• 4 tablespoons plus 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with cooking spray. Line bottom of the with foil; spray foil. Wrap outside of pan with foil. Wonder why you didn’t take stock in a foil company.
3. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add apples; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
4. Sauté apples until almost tender and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Wonder why you didn’t take stock in a sugar company.
5. Increase heat to high and toss until sugar melts and apples are deep brown, about 4 minutes. Pour apple mixture onto large plate (do not clean skillet; you want all that apple and buttery goodness).
6. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup sugar and cook until mixture is deep golden brown, stirring often, about 7 minutes (mixture will be grainy). Add cream and vinegar (do not stir).
7. Cover skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer without stirring until most of caramel bits dissolve, about 8 minutes.
8. Uncover and whisk until sauce is slightly thick, deep brown and reduced to generous 1 cup, about 3 minutes longer. Pour caramel sauce into small saucepan.
9. Spread 3 tablespoons caramel sauce over bottom of prepared pan. Arrange apple wedges side by side, rounded side down, in caramel in 2 purty overlapping circles.
10. Sift flour and next 6 ingredients into a medium bowl.
11. Beat 6 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons oil and 1 cup sugar in large bowl to blend (mixture will be grainy). Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla and 1/4 cup of the caramel sauce.
12. Beat in half of dry ingredients, then sour cream, then remaining dry ingredients.
13. Spoon batter evenly over apples.
14. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
15. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes.Cut around cake; remove pan sides. Cool cake 15 minutes longer.
16. Place platter atop cake; invert cake onto platter. Remove pan bottom and foil. Replace any dislodged apples. Rewarm remaining caramel sauce. Serve cake warm or at room temperature with sauce.