The past few months we experienced a very wet and cool summer. It was definitely different than any summer recently. It was not good for swimming or boating, but it was good for mosquitos. Right now if we step outside our door, we are swarmed by the little pests.
I think all the sweets I “test” in my kitchen makes my blood sweeter than my husband’s. We were standing outside cutting some boards yesterday, and I had four bites in a matter of minutes. He kept trying to say there were no bugs out there, but I had the welts to prove it. I guess that just proves I’m the sweetest, right?
It’s a good thing that the nights have been getting cooler here. Hopefully those cool nights will help eliminate the bug factory that seems to be going on in our backyard.
I have to admit that I live for the fall weather. Bring on the cool days where I can wear a sweatshirt and jeans and can sit outside around a bonfire without bugs dive bombing my head! Fall is definitely my favorite season of all.
With fall comes my favorite time of year to bake as well. I mean, I love baking all year long, but for some reason fall baking gets me the most excited. Bring on the apple and pumpkin goodness for a few months!!!
This past week I bought a new sweatshirt at the mall and a big box of Crunch Pak apples from Sam’s Club. I’m set for some cool weather and recipe testing!
I knew that I want to make some sort of apple cake with a caramel nut frosting! This Caramel Apple Bundt Cake was my inspiration. I tweaked some of the ingredients and used a different pan this time.
The sliced apples are great for cakes like this. You can leave the peels on and just chop the slices into small bits. You will not even know the peels are on after the cake bakes. It’s just one less thing to do in the kitchen!
I absolutely loved all the apple goodness going on in this cake. Each day it sat on our counter it seemed to get better. It is a moist and delicious cake, and just perfect for fall.
But my favorite part of the cake was the frosting. I’m a total frosting kind of girl. Cake, cookies, donuts…they all are better with frosting loaded on top.
This frosting starts with melting butter, brown sugar, and coffee creamer in a saucepan. I let it cool for about 10 minutes before beating in some powdered sugar. Spread it on your cake quickly and press the nuts into the top before it sets up. The frosting will get a slight crust on top of it, but it is soft and creamy as you bite into your cake.
Trust me, you will keep slicing off tiny slivers each time you see it on your counter. Oh, wait. Maybe that’s just me and my lack of self-control. I suggest having friends over for coffee and cake, so you do not eat all of it.
Apple Praline Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 cake squares
Ingredients
For the Apple Cake
- 1 cup oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 cups finely diced apples
For the Praline Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup coffee creamer (I used ID southern pecan)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup pecan chips
Instructions
- Beat the oil and sugars until they look like wet sand. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
- Stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slowly beat it into the sugar and egg mixture. Stir in the apples by hand.
- Spread the batter in a greased 9×13 glass dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- Place the butter, brown sugar, and coffee cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir for one minute. Remove from the heat and let cool 8-10 minutes.
- Beat together the cooled butter mixture and powdered sugar until creamy. Spread over the top of the cooled cake quickly. Sprinkle with the pecan chips and press into the frosting gently. Cut into 24 squares. Store in a tightly sealed container on the counter.