Tuesday

Warm Apple Cake with Vanilla Butter Sauce

I made this cake a couple weeks ago but didn't get any pictures before it was devoured. So over the weekend when my husband said they were having an office Thanksgiving party on Tuesday I volunteered to make another apple cake for him to take in to share. 

I didn't just make one cake, I made two. 

One to keep, one to give:-)

My favorite book of all times is "A Woman After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George.
In the chapter titled Motherly Affection she talks about giving your family preferential treatment
She says:
"Don’t give away to others what you have not first given away at home."

This applies to far more than just food but in this instance I’m not going to make a yummy cake to send off and not keep a little for my family!


This cake is warm and dense but not too sweet. Full of apples, nuts and dates it's perfect for the fall season.  It's even good as a breakfast treat...



Apple Cake with Vanilla Butter Sauce
(This recipe as written will make one 13 x 9 inch cake. If you want a smaller cake you can divide all the ingredients in half and bake it in a 9" round cake pan reduce the baking time to 30 - 35 minutes)

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups peeled and chopped apples (chunks not minced)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped dates (optional)
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream the sugar and butter together for 5 minutes
Beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla until just blended. Set aside
In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and spices and stir well.
Gradually add the flour to the sugar/egg mixture beating until well blended.
By hand stir in the apples, dates and walnuts
Pour into a greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. 
Serve warm with Vanilla Butter sauce.
Vanilla Butter Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the whipping cream and the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Be careful because the sauce will bubble up when you add the vanilla. 

Serving suggestions: 
If you're serving the cake at home you can keep the sauce warm in a small chafing dish and let your guest help themselves to as much as they like. 

For a potluck- I cool the cake completely and slightly cool the butter sauce. Pour the sauce over the top of the cake and refrigerate. The cake is good eaten cold, at room temp, or reheated in the microwave.  

Tip:
Anytime I make something with nuts I always sprinkle some on top so if anyone has a nut allergy they will know right away not to eat any. 




Setting an extra plate at my table and making a place in my heart!





Grace at Home





5 comments:

  1. This looks absolutely delicious esp. with the sauce on top!

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  2. This is so fancy and pretty! You have one lucky family :) Thanks for joining us last week for Saturday Night Fever!

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  3. Thank you Kathy and Andi for visiting and for your kind words:-)

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  4. This looks absolutely delicious! I love your tip about the nut allergy too, my sister grew up with food allergies and that can be so scary. Great idea! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again next week!

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