Little Green Apples in My Cake - Apple Cake with Bourbon Sauce

This delicious apple cake is courtesy of Linda Monforte, one of the ladies from the church we attended when I was a child.  It is my favorite apple cake.  Granted, she did not pour bourbon sauce over it when bringing it to church potlucks, but I think it is a welcome addition to this delectable apple cake.

I find my favorite apples for this cake, even though they are not necessarily green, are Braeburns or Winesaps, as they seem to hold their shape a little better when cooking in the batter.  This is one of my strange quirks.  I like my Pie apples tart and cooked completely and my Cake apples a little sweeter and to have some tooth to them, so I know they are there.  I think it has to do with the nature of the two desserts.

With Cake, the cake itself is soft and spongy, so the apples cannot be cooked to mush or the whole thing would just be a soggy mess.  A little tooth to the apples lends interesting texture that helps to bridge from the spongy cake to the crunchy nuts. 

In Pie, the flaky pastry crust lends the contrast to the softer, completely cooked apple filling.  If the apples are toothy, or worse, still crunchy, then you end up with a big slice of "ewww!" on your plate that NO amount of cheddar cheese, caramel sauce or ice cream can fix.

Not that I am opinionated or anything.  ;-)

Linda Monforte's Apple Cake

2 large Eggs
1/2 cup (118ml) Light Oil (such as Safflower)
2 cups (400g) granulated Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cups (250g) AP Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
1 cup (110g) Pecans, chopped
4 cups (500g) Braeburn Apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 4 apples)
Bourbon Sauce (see below)
Whipped Cream

Butter and Flour a 13x9 inch baking dish. (it's vintage Corningware P-21 for me, but a Pyrex dish will work too)

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees
In a small bowl, combine Flour, Baking Soda, Cinnamon and Salt; whisking to combine.

In a medium bowl, combing Eggs, Oil, Sugar and Vanilla, whisking well until homogeneous.

Toast the Pecans for 8 minutes in the oven, then give them a nice rough chop.

Peel, core and chop the apples, then place them in a large bowl.

Pour both the Flour mixture and the Egg/Oil mixture over the Apples.

Fold them all together until there are no dry spots, then add Pecans and fold until well dispersed.

Pour the batter into your prepared Baking Dish.

Smooth the batter out a little, so it's level.

Bake for 45 minutes to 55 minutes.

Until all nicely browned and delicious looking, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

Place on a rack and allow it  cool while you make Bourbon sauce.....  OK, it's really more of a Bourbon Caramel Sauce, but, well...  It's a saucy caramel. (in more ways than one)

Bourbon Sauce

1 cup (200g) Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup (100g) Brown Sugar
2/3 cup (156ml) Water
4 oz (113g) Unsalted Butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup (59ml) Bourbon (I like Maker's Mark)
1/3 cup (78ml) Heavy Cream

Combine both Sugars and Water in a medium saucepan set over medium flame.

Stir until the Sugars dissolve and the syrup comes to a boil.

Place a thermometer in the syrup and bring to 300 F Degrees.

When the caramel hits 300, remove from the heat and stir in the butter with a whisk (

Once the butter has melted into the caramel and there is no further risk of crystallization,

remove the sauce from the heat and add the Bourbon and Heavy Cream. (careful, it will bubble and steam again

Pour into a heat proof pitcher and allow the caramel to cool.

Serving.....

Once the Apple Cake has finished baking, and has cooled to room temperature, cut 3-inch square pieces and place on a plate,

drizzling liberally with warm Bourbon Sauce...

and top with whipped cream... Oh yeah, baby!
 

Mangia!!
~~

Caramel Lust - Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce

Is there anyone out there that doesn't love good caramel?  I didn't think so.  I absolutely LOVE it.  How could anyone NOT love caramel?  Sugar that has been melted and cooked into a glowing amber mass of deliciousness that is then loaded up with Butter and Heavy Cream.  I mean, this is the stuff that dreams are made of, right?

My favorite form of caramel is salted caramel.  It's that salty-sweet thing.  I realize that not everyone is crazy about this contrast the way that I am, but I will say this --  If it was possible to fill a Olympic sized pool with salted caramel sauce, I would swim in it.  Well, not so much swim as eat my way from one side to the other.

It's great over ice cream, drizzled on brownies, used as a dipping sauce for apple wedges, or to simply eat with a large spoon.  (Which is what I usually end up doing) Whatever manner in which you choose to consume your caramel sauce, it's all good. 

This sauce is fairly forgiving when it comes to the amount of salt and the amount of Heavy Cream.  The recipe I am about to give is for a fairly thick sauce, containing only 1/2 cup of Heavy cream, if you find that this is a little to thick for your taste, simply increase the Heavy Cream to 2/3 cup.  You will be surprised at the difference that small amount of Heavy Cream will make.  If you would prefer it to be thicker, lower the Heavy Cream content to 1/3 cup.  Likewise, if you are not a fan of Salt Caramel, reduce the Salt from 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 or even 1/2.  You will still need SOME salt, but 1 teaspoon will give you a subtle saltiness while 1/2 teaspoon will simply augment the flavor of the caramel sauce without being intrusive.

If you are worried about crystallization in your final sauce, as melted Sugar can be somewhat finicky on occasion, simply add 1/2 teaspoon of Lemon Juice when you add the butter.  This will "invert" the Sugar, which will reduce the chances of sugar crystals forming in the final Caramel.

Remember, candy making involves extremely hot and sticky melted sugar.  Please be especially cautious when making caramel.  Melted sugar (which is already like lava) does not even begin to change color until around 320 degrees.  This can cause a rather serious burn.  Please, please, pleeeeez.....  Be careful.

OK, harshed everyone's mellow, let's get our Caramel on!

Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce

(on Coffee Ice Cream)


1 cup (7.1oz) (200g) Granulated Sugar

6 TB Unsalted Butter
optional - 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 cup (4 oz)(118ml) Heavy Cream
1 1/2 tsp Fleur de Sel (though you can use Kosher salt if you like)

Place the Sugar in a deep, heavy bottomed saucepan, set over medium flame.

Assemble the rest of your ingredients, because once the sugar begins to change color, it all happens REALLY fast (about 1 minute from Sugar melt to Caramel Sauce).  So, mise en place in place everybody.
Cut the 6 TB of Butter into 7-8 slices.

Measure out the Heavy Cream.

And don't forget the Salt, or the Lemon Juice (if your using it).

Also, get a whisk ready....  I happen to be using a new one that my mother found for me while on vacation back in September.  Pretty cool design for getting in the corners of the saucepan.  (Thanks Mom!)

OK, by now, there should be a spot, near the center of the pan, that you can see "liquid" sugar beginning to peak through the dry sugar....  Let it keep going (no touching the pan)

Once the liquid sugar begins to show around the edges, give the pan a little shake. (Just a little one)

This will move things around slightly, and allow some of the dry sugar still floating on the liquid below, to mix in just a little.

Eventually, you will have a nice smooth dark chestnut colored elixir of deliciousness.

Once the Sugar has melted completely and there are no little chunks of unmelted sugar, add the Butter (and lemon juice if using) and begin whisking the butter in.

The syrup will begin to bubble a little as the small amount of water in the butter comes out of emulsion and begins to boil away.

Once the butter has been whisked in well, remove the saucepan from the flame and add the Heavy Cream and whisk like a mad man (or woman) to make sure than any "solidified" bits will reincorporate into a smooth sauce.

This is when the mixture will do some seriously dangerous bubbling, steaming and sputtering (thus the warning to be careful, and the use of a deep pan to contain the volcano effect)

When the sputtering subsides, quickly whisk in your chosen amount of Fleur de Sel (or Kosher Salt)

Once you have a smooth mixture, pour it into a heat resistant bowl (without scraping the pan, just in case there are undissolved sugar crystals) and allow to come to room temperature.

When cooled, store in a squeeze bottle. I like to bestow the "honor" of storing my caramel sauce upon one of my many empty "Honey Bears" I have lurking in my kitchen.  Or should I say "Caramel Bears"?

And there you have it.  Fleur de Sel Caramel sauce whenever you want it.  Oh Yeah!


Now if you will excuse me, I need to attend to the saucepan.  True, there isn't enough left in the pan for me to swim in, but there's enough to bury my face in.  :)

Mangia!!
~~

Auntie Knows Best - Butterscotch "Caramel" Corn

Caramel corn...   The mere mention of it causes me to swoon.  I love caramel corn in all of it's "sincarnations".  I can remember being in the 4-H barn at the Multnomah county fair (yes, I was in 4-H) laying on a bale of straw with a stomach ache because I had consumed massive quantities of the stuff out on the midway.   It never stopped me though, I was right back out there the next day, eating my fill of the most decadent of all popcorn's manifestations. 

As a result of this somewhat sordid past with Caramel corn, I have developed certain likes and dislikes when it comes to "dressing" popped corn with candy syrup.  I prefer that the corn be lightly coated.  Not all gloppy and toffee like, with a bit of popped corn here and there.  And I like a little salt with my syrup to cut the sweetness.  This is why Kettle Corn is one of my top 3.

Another thing I dislike immensely is nuts in my caramel corn.  I know, I know... I like nuts in everything, just not in caramel corn.  Cracker Jack is out.

But my biggest dislike is when the caramel syrup is WAY too dark, and there is a bitterness to it.  Not festive at all.  So I tend to like the lighter caramels.

Which brings me to my most favorite Caramel Corn in the world, aside from the awesome stuff at that little shop in Lloyd Center that has been there since my parents were little, my Auntie Patsy's Butterscotch Caramel Corn.  It's absolutely perfect and delicious every single time.  The only problem is that it's dangerous... You see, it's so easy to make, that you will be making and eating it ALL the time.   :)

Why do I call it Butterscotch Caramel corn?  Well, it starts out as a Butterscotch sauce (Brown Sugar and Butter, but no Scotch).  Unlike the sauce I use for Poached Pears though, this is cooked to the Hard ball stage.  At which point you do a little "Cinder Toffee" magic to lighten the mixture before folding the sauce into the popcorn.  Most "Caramel" corn starts with granulated sugar that is then cooked to the "caramel" stage before being poured over the popped corn.  This can lead to overly dark caramel and that bitter flavor, as well as a slightly burnt smell, that I don't like.  It also does weird things to the popped corn when you pour 310 degree syrup over it.  The nice 255 degree syrup is much kinder to your Orville Reddenbacher, leaving the popped corn nice and fluffy without a secondary "cooked" flavor or shriveling it up due to heat.

The coolest part though, is that it is finished in the oven. I mean, honestly, what could possibly be easier? (this is why it's dangerous)

What you end up with is a delicately crisp Popcorn with a mere sheen of crunchy butterscotch caramel deliciousness coating the outside.   It's just Pure Heaven!

Auntie Patsy's Butterscotch Caramel Corn

7 quarts (6.5 oz) (185g) Popped Popcorn  (1 quart of popped corn weighs about .9 oz)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Cream of Tarter
1 cup (8 oz) (226g) Unsalted Butter
1 cup (7.1 oz) (200g) Brown Sugar, packed
1 cup (7.2 oz) (205g) Dark Brown Sugar, packed (Dark Brown weighs a little more)
1/2 cup (4 oz) (118 ml) Orange Blossom Honey (by weight, that is 6 oz or 170g)

Pop all of the popcorn, filling a large bowl, and set aside.

(I "pop" each batch into a smaller bowl so I can keep the old maids to a minimum)

Preheat the oven to 200 F (94 C) degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk Baking Soda, Salt and Cream of Tarter together, set aside.

In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the Butter.

Once melted, add the Sugars and the Honey.

Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Continue boiling for about 5 minutes or until the temperature reaches 255 F (124 C) degrees (just shy of hard ball)

Remove from the heat and stir in the Baking Soda mixture.

The syrup will get all foamy and pale as the CO2 is released. (this lightens the syrup, making it easier to pour, and mix with the popcorn)

Pour the syrup over the popcorn.

Gently fold the syrup over the popped corn with a large wooden spoon to coat evenly. 

Spread the caramel corn out on a couple of parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour, swapping the position of the baking sheets at 30 minutes.

Let cool on the counter for 20 minutes to firm up into a slab o' Caramel Corn.

Simply break apart and enjoy!

mmmmmm  a chunk of butterscotchy caramel deliciousness!  If you will excuse me now, I have an appointment with a rather large piece and a cup of coffee.  :) 

Mangia!!
~~