CARAMELIZED APPLE-PECAN CAKE

Caramelized Apple-Pecan Cake image

A simple butter cake masquerades as a pie; it is baked in a pie plate and inverted at the end to show off its caramelized apple and nut topping.

Provided by Florence Fabricant

Categories dessert

Time 1h

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

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Ingredients

1 stick (4 ounces) soft unsalted butter
3/4 cup pecan halves
2 large tart apples, like Fuji, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter-pecan ice cream, for serving

Steps:

Use a little butter to grease a 10-inch glass pie plate. Arrange 1/4 cup pecan halves in a pattern in pie plate. Arrange apple slices over and around pecans, in a single layer in a pattern. Scatter any extra slices randomly on top.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, finely grind remaining pecan halves. Mix with flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Whisk 1 cup sugar and remaining salt together in a skillet and mix with 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until mixture turns amber. Swirl pan from time to time if necessary. Immediately pour caramel over apples in pie pan.
With a mixer, cream remaining butter and remaining sugar together. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter over apples. Bake 30 minutes, until nicely browned. Cool.
Run a knife around edges and invert cake onto a serving dish, one that is heatproof if you want to warm cake before serving. Serve with ice cream.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 338, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 47 grams, Fat 16 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 3 grams, SaturatedFat 7 grams, Sodium 267 milligrams, Sugar 40 grams, TransFat 0 grams