Autumn Apples Week {Day 5 ~ Loaded Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake}

Day 5 of Autumn Apples Week! I really hope you’ve enjoyed this week! 

 

In case you've missed anything this week:

 ~ Day 1: Giveaway

 ~ Day 2: Almond Apple Bars

 ~ Day 3: Pie Crust Chips & Apple Salsa + Link-up

 ~ Day 4: Apple Pie Ice Cream

I know it’s a week about apples, but I had to find a way to incorporate chocolate – one of my other favorite Fall foods! This cake recipe is a rich coffee cake and would be fantastic with your favorite Fall drink. And it’s been officially endorsed by the staff at my son’s school! I took the cake there since I was volunteering and it was completely gone before the end of the day and raved about by all.

 

Loaded Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

adapted from Cooking Light

½ cup + 2 tablespoons caramel sauce {I used homemade – y.u.m.}

1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced

1 ½ cups unbleached flour

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup buttermilk

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup coconut oil, melted {can use vegetable oil}

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

¼ cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

Chocolate drizzle {melted chocolate chips}

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cooking spray in 8-inch square or round pan. Pour caramel onto bottom of pan. Arrange apple slices over caramel, overlapping slightly as needed.

In large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir with whisk until well-combined. In medium bowl, combine buttermilk and baking soda. Stir with whisk. Stir in oil, vanilla, and eggs. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Stir together just until blended. Pour batter over apple slices in pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until pick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on wire rack. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Put an upside down plate on top of cake pan. Carefully invert cake onto plate. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over top of cake. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over top. Drizzle melted chocolate as desired. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce on top. Serve warm or at room temp.

Notes:

• If you use a square pan, this recipe should work fine. If you use a round cake pan like me, then be warned of oozing caramel that smokes on the bottom of your oven! Either use a little less caramel {but who would want that??} when using a round pan or put a cookie sheet or foil on the rack below and expect a little smoke.
• I didn’t use all the apple slices from 1 apple – just fit what you can. 
• I use the kind of coconut oil that does not have a coconut flavor {from Tropical Traditions – not an affiliate}, but I think that the kind with a coconut flavor would be delicious in this cake too.
• For the chocolate drizzle, I melted a small handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave 1 minute, stirred until smooth, filled a small plastic baggie, snipped off a corner, and then drizzled.

 

I do wish I could hand you a piece of cake right now! But how about a giveaway instead? We've been celebrating Autumn all week, so I'd love for one of you to win a copy of this lovely Kindle book: Autumn Bliss. {Did you know that you don't need a Kindle for Kindle books? You can download a free app to your computer or phone.}It's a wonderful book filled with Scriptures, ideas for celebrating Autumn with your kids, party ideas, and lots of cozy recipes {including a muffin recipe from me!}.

**Giveaway Closed.** To enter, just leave a comment telling me about one of your favorite Autumn activities! That's it! Giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents 18 and older. One winner will be chosen randomly from comments and notified by e-mail. Giveaway is open through end of day on Sunday 9/29.

Thanks so much for joining me for Autumn Apples Week! I really hope you had fun and found a new recipe to try!

This post linked to:
 ~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls
 ~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom 

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Have a blessed day friends!

Tasty Tuesday ~ Caramel Sauce

I had thought about making my own caramel sauce for the last couple of years, but I was always too intimidated to try it.  I was making a dessert for my wedding anniversary last week and it called for caramel.  The recipe said to melt a bag of caramels and mix with evaporated milk to make a caramel sauce.  I decided this was my chance to attempt homemade caramel sauce!  I can be crazy like that.

I looked at several recipes and then ended up with my own measurements.  This makes a little thicker sauce, close to the consistency of melted caramels.

Simple ingredients!

The sugar turns to crystals and then starts to melt.

Carmelized sugar.

All mixed together!

The finished product!

I need to *confess* that I burnt the first batch!  And I almost ruined the second batch!  I'll give you the recipe and then some helpful tips.

Caramel Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put sugar in large (2-3 quart because it will foam up) saucepan with a heavy bottom.  Over medium-high heat, stir sugar with wooden spoon or whisk until it begins to clump in crystals, then stir constantly.  Keep stirring until sugar melts completely and has a *caramel* color.  Add butter (some foaming will occur) and stir constantly with whisk until butter melts.  Remove pan from heat.  Pour cream slowly in pan while stirring briskly with whisk - mixture will foam up.  Keep stirring until caramel is smooth.  Add vanilla extract and stir.  Pour caramel in glass jar to cool.  After cooling, refrigerate.  Can be kept in refrigerator 2 weeks and heated up to use as necessary.

Tips:
~ Have all ingredients measured out and ready to go - no time for leaving the stove!
~ Wear hot pads!  When the mixture foams up, it's very hot and you should protect your hands/arms.
~ If your carmelized sugar mixture smells burnt or like strong molasses, don't add your butter & cream 'cause you already burnt the sugar and nothing will fix it.  Ask me how I know.  :)
~ Don't let the melting sugar get too dark - it changes from carmelized to burnt really fast!
~ Practice with a half batch to get the hang of it.
~ Don't use a skimpy pan or the bottom will get too hot and your sugar will be more likely to burn.
~ If the mixture clumps when adding cream, put it back on heat and keep stirring until smooth.
~ If you want a less thick caramel sauce, you can try increasing the butter and/or cream.

Is that helpful?  Or too confusing?  Once you try it a couple of times, you start to get a feel for it.  Here are a couple of helpful links with more info on making caramel sauce:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/caramel_sauce/
http://video.about.com/americanfood/Easy-Caramel-Sauce.htm 

Have you made your own caramel sauce?  Let me know if you give it a try!  It's soooo delicious!  You'll have to stop back here for CHOCOLATE Friday to see what I used this caramel sauce for!

I linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam today!  Stop by for all sorts of yummy recipes!

Have a tasty day friends!  :)