APPLE CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR GLAZE

Ingredients
Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups finely chopped apples
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)


Brown Sugar Glaze
1 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch pan and set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter until the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts; mix well. Scrape the batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack.

While the cake is still hot, prepare the glaze.  Combine the brown sugar, butter, vanilla and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Continue cooking for 3 minutes. Spoon the hot glaze over the still warm cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.

Let's Dish
I saw this cake over at Lick the Bowl Good a few weeks ago and made it that very day.  My kids smelled it baking and kept asking when it would be done.  After tasting it, they proclaimed it the best cake they've ever had.  I think it was even better the next day.  In fact, I made it again the same week. It's so moist and delicious, and tastes a lot like a carmel apple.  It's a great fall recipe, but one that I plan on making year round.  If you don't have any heavy cream, evaporated milk is a good substitute.
 
Who Dished It Up First
This recipe was originally published in the Southern Cakes cookbook, but I found it at Lick the Bowl Good.