Recipe by: Valerie Musser

Ingredients:

Cake

  • 1 ¾ c. All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. cardamom
  • ½ c. corn oil
  • ½ c. white sugar
  • ½ c. brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ c. sour cream
  • 1 c. shredded Lucy™ Rose or Glo apples

Frosting

  • ½ c. butter softened
  • 3 oz. goat cheese softened
  • 3 c. powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp. heavy cream

Infused Caramel Sauce

  • 1 whole cinnamon stick
  • ½ c. heavy cream
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 2/3 c. sugar
  • 2 tbsp. apple cider
  • 1 tbsp. corn syrup
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 cardamom pods

Honey Cinnamon Apples

  • 4 Lucy™ Rose Apples sliced ¼ inch thick
  • Squeeze of lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • 1/3 cup of honey
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. white pepper

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two round cake pans.  I also like to trace out the cake pan on a piece of parchment paper, cut out the circle and place it into the bottom of the pan for added nonstick protection. Set these aside. Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Mix the oil and sugars together in an electric mixer. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated. Add in the sour cream and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl as needed. When combined, fold in the apples. Pour evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 
  2. Cool completely on a wire rack. 
  3. When the cakes have cooled completely, make the frosting. Beat the butter until smooth. Add in the goat cheese and mix till combined. With the mixer on low, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream.  Mix until no lumps remain.
  4. At this stage, frost the cake.
  5. Starting with the bottom layer, spread on ½ c. frosting. Add the second layer and use the remaining frosting to give the outside a nice coating, but a rustic finish. Since we will be topping the cake with caramel and apples, it is not necessary to frost the top. Refrigerate leftover frosting for touchups and refrigerate the cake.  A cool cake will result in a better caramel sauce application.

Making the infused caramel sauce:

  1. In a heavy-bottomed pot slowly bring the cream, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods to a simmer. Remove from heat. Transfer to a heat-safe bowl and steep in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 
  2. After this time has elapsed, discard the cinnamon stick and pods.
  3. Place the sugar, apple cider, and corn syrup in the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to cook without stirring till it reaches an amber color. 
  4. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the infused cream. Stir in the butter, vanilla, and salt. Transfer to the heat-safe bowl and set aside to cool to your desired thickness.  

Making the Honey Cinnamon Apples: 

  1. Toss the sliced apples in lemon juice in a large bowl to keep them from browning. Melt butter in a large, high-sided pan over medium heat. Add the apples and cook until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Toss/stir frequently. Add in the honey, cinnamon, and white pepper. Cook until the apples are fork-tender, and the honey begins to thicken. Transfer to a large heat-safe bowl and let cool enough to handle them

Plating:

  1. Remove the cake from the fridge and add it to your cake serving plate or stand.  Gently pour around the whole cake the somewhat cooled caramel sauce about 2 inches from the edge. Allow the caramel to natural drip down the sides, tilting the cake to “assist” if needed.  Arrange the apples in concentric circles on top of the cake, starting from the outside edge. Drizzle the placed apples with the left-over cinnamon honey syrup. Any extra caramel sauce can be used for serving or kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.  
  2. Keep the cake cooled until ready to serve.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email