Brown-Sugar Spice Cake with Cream and Caramelized Apples

Name: Brown-Sugar Spice Cake with Cream and Caramelized Apples
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3.5 lb Gala apples; 0.75 stick unsalted butter, softened; 0.75 cup packed light brown sugar; 1.5 cup all-purpose flour; 1.5 tsp baking powder; 0.5 tsp baking soda; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp ground allspice; 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 0.13 tsp ground cloves; 1 stick unsalted butter, softened; 0.33 cup packed light brown sugar; 1 large egg; 0.5 cup dark amber or Grade B maple syrup; 0.5 cup sour cream; 1 tsp vanilla; 1.25 cup chilled heavy cream; 0.5 cup sour cream; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 an 8-inch square nonstick cake pan

From the kitchen of Carly

Warm spice cake gets luxe treatment with caramelized apples and their sticky-sweet pan juices. Brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves build deep flavor, while the fruit sits right in the batter, turning tender and jammy as it bakes. Serve with whipped cream.

Brown-Sugar Spice Cake with Cream and Caramelized Apples

Gala apples gone dark and sticky in their own caramel, piled onto a spiced cake that tastes like maple and brown sugar had a baby. The cake stays tender because of sour cream and maple syrup, which means you're eating something that feels indulgent without the weight. Top with barely whipped cream and you've got the kind of dessert that makes fall feel intentional.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

3 1/2 lbGala apples
3/4 stickunsalted butter, softened
3/4 cuppacked light brown sugar
1 1/2 cupall-purpose flour
1 1/2 tspbaking powder
1/2 tspbaking soda
1/2 tspsalt
1/2 tspground allspice
1/2 tspfreshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tspground cloves
1 stickunsalted butter, softened
1/3 cuppacked light brown sugar
1 largeegg
1/2 cupdark amber or Grade B maple syrup
1/2 cupsour cream
1 tspvanilla
1 1/4 cupchilled heavy cream
1/2 cupsour cream
2 tbspsugar
1an 8-inch square nonstick cake pan

Instructions

Position an oven rack in the middle and bring the oven up to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour the cake pan, knocking out any excess flour.
Peel and core the apples, then cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges.
Spread the softened butter in an even layer across the bottom of a 12 inch heavy skillet and shower with the brown sugar. Lay in the apple wedges and cook over moderate heat, without stirring, until the sugar melts and the apples start releasing liquid, around 10 minutes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples turn just tender and the juices thicken into syrup, around 30 minutes more.
Pour the syrup from the skillet into a small heatproof bowl, then sauté the apples, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and very tender, around 30 minutes more. Return the syrup to the apples and cook until heated through, around 2 minutes.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a bowl.
Beat the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg until combined. Add the maple syrup, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until well blended. Drop the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
Spread the batter in the cake pan and bake until the cake turns golden brown and a wooden pick pushed into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.
Beat the cream with the sour cream and sugar using cleaned beaters at high speed until soft peaks just form.
Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan, then flip the cake onto a plate and cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with the warm apple mixture and the cream.

Tips from the kitchen

Don't stir the apples for the first 10 minutes, even though it feels wrong, the sugar and butter need to meld undisturbed into a real caramel base.
Use the darkest maple syrup you can find, Grade B has the assertive flavor that cuts through the brown sugar and keeps the cake from tasting one-note.
The cream should be barely whipped, just soft peaks, if you overbeat it will break and look grainy before you know it.

Variations

Skip the apples for a plainer spice cake, halve the batter and bake it in a smaller pan, then serve it plain or with coffee.
Swap the maple syrup for an equal amount of molasses to go deeper and darker, especially good if you add a pinch of cinnamon to the batter.
Use bourbon or dark rum instead of vanilla, a tablespoon is enough to add a note that complements the caramelized apples without tasting boozy.
Top with salted caramel drizzle instead of whipped cream, especially if you're not in a cream-heavy mood.

Make ahead and storage

Cake keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, apples and all. Whipped cream goes on fresh, not ahead of time. Don't freeze this one, the moisture from the apples and cream makes it soggy when thawed.