CARAMEL-GLAZED APPLE CHUNK CAKE

This recipe is one of my personal favorite recipes for this beautiful time of year. It is perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas (along with some good vanilla, cinnamon or butter pecan ice cream) or just because you like cake!

Enjoy and lots of Blessings!
Di

Ingredients:

Cake:
2-1/2 c., plus 1 T. flour
1-1/4 t. cinnamon
¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg*
1 t. each baking soda, salt
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 t. vanilla extract
3 T. orange juice
1-1/2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and
cut into ½ inch chunks, about 3-1/2 cups
(any tart apple can be used)
1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 c. packed light brown sugar
¼ c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350º. Generously grease a 12-cup capacity (10-inch) Bundt cake pan; lightly dust with fl our and set aside.  Sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.Beat oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla for three minutes.  Add sifted ingredients and orange juice and mix until combined.  Toss apples and pecans with remaining tablespoon of flour and stir into batter.  Mixture will be very thick.  Add to pan and smooth surface.  Bake about one hour until toothpick comes out clean.

While cake is baking, bring all glaze ingredients to a simmer in a small saucepan for three minutes, uncovered.  When cake is done, let it rest on cooling rack for five minutes.  Invert onto a cooling rack placed over a sheet of foil or wax paper.  Brush warm cake with glaze, reapplying glaze as it drips onto the foil.

Note: If you do not want to make the glaze, you could drizzle a little store-bought caramel sauce over it or just top it with some sifted powdered confectioner’s sugar.

*If you have never used freshly grated nutmeg-try it!  The flavor is so much better than nutmeg in a jar and it is very easy to do.