Caramelized Apple Cake  Ingredients:       TOPPING    1/2 cup  sugar       1/4 cup  apple cider or juice    1 Tbsp light stick butter       1 Tbsp lemon juice    4 medium  Cortland or Fuji apples (1 1/2 lb), peeled, cored and each cut into 8 wedges       CAKE    1/2 stick (1/4 cup)  light butter, softened       2/3 cup sugar    1 tsp  baking powder       1 tsp  vanilla extract    1/2 tsp apple pie spice       1/2 tsp baking soda    1/4 tsp  salt       2 large eggs    1 1/4 cups  all-purpose flour       2/3 cup nonfat buttermilk

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. You'll need a 9 x 2-in. round cake pan coated with nonstick spray. 2. Topping: Mix sugar and apple cider in a large nonstick skillet; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil mixture 4 minutes or until light honey color. Add lemon juice and butter; reduce heat to medium. When butter is melted, boil mixture 1 minute, until light golden. Add apples, flat sides down; cook 8 minutes, turning apples with a fork after 4 minutes, until lightly caramelized and crisp-tender when pierced with a skewer. Remove from heat; cool in skillet 5 minutes. 3. Cake: Pour the apple mixture from skillet into prepared cake pan; use a fork to arrange in concentric circles. Beat butter, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, baking soda, apple pie spice and salt with a mixer in a medium bowl 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended. Beat in flour and buttermilk alternately, in three additions, until batter is smooth. Pour batter over apples; spread to edge of pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until a pick inserted in center comes out clean. 4. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate. Cool until cake is just warm, then serve. (This cake is also delicious at room temperature.)

Categories:  Baked Goods, Baked goods, Cakes, Desert, Dessert, Desserts, Fruit, Fruits, dessert, desserts

Estimated Serving:  8

Estimated preparation time:  25 min.

Language:  English

Shared by:  Jilly    2010/01/31