This recipe did not come from my grandmother but I bet she would have approved this one! She did have a similar apple cake – maybe I’ll share that one later.

But right now I’d just rather talk about this one and make you understand what you’ll miss if you don’t make this cake! This really is one of the best apple cakes I’ve ever tried in my life, and it has been on my Top 5 list for years already. My kids can’t get enough of this, and every year when I pick apples from my own trees, this is always the first cake I make.

Ingredients

For the Caramel:

1 1/2 cups Domino sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp light corn syrup

2 Tbsp Land O’ Lakes unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

1/2 cup Borden heavy cream

For the Cake:

2 Apples (Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or Crispin)

2 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup Daisy sour cream

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 stick Land O’ Lakes unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups Domino sugar

3 large Eggland’s eggs

2/3 cup Boiling Water

Instructions:

Butter a 3 inch deep, 8 or 9 inch diameter cake pan.

Prepare the Caramel. In a deep saucepan over medium-medium/high heat, combine the sugar and corn syrup until the sugar melts and the mixture turns a deep amber color. Be careful, because the mixture will be extremely hot. Turn down the heat to medium and carefully add the butter and cream. Be prepared that the mixture will bubble up vigorously. Stir with a long-handled spoon for about 3 minutes, until combined.

Allow the caramel to cool for a minute. Reserve 1/2 cup of the caramel in a container. Pour the remaining caramel into the cake pan. Allow the caramel to set for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice both apples into thin pieces. When the caramel has cooled, arrange the apple slices in an overlapping ring around the edge of the cake pan. Chop up the remaining apple slices and set aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla. Set aside.

Use a hand mixer to beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. One at a time, beat in the eggs. Then, add half of the flour mixture, followed by half of the sour cream mixture. Continue beating to combine. Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and remaining sour cream. Beat until combined.

Stir in the 2/3 cup of boiling water, until the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the chopped apples.

Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the cake springs back when gently pressed. Cool completely in the pan.

To serve, bring about an inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan or skillet (with a wider diameter than the cake pan). Turn off the heat and place the bottom of the cake pan in the hot water. Allow the pan to sit in the hot water for 5-7 minutes to soften the caramel. Then, run a knife along he edges of the cake to loosen and invert the cake over your serving plate. Microwave the caramel for a few seconds at a time until it is softened. Drizzle the remaining caramel over the top of the cake. Serve immediately.

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Quick tip: Take a shortcut and use store-bought caramel.