Salted Apple Sliver Cake

Around the holidays, we tend to go big.  Usually this  means a lot of work for the payoff of great flavors.  Yet, this time around we wanted to keep it a little simpler.  Certainly there are a few components to this dish, but altogether it is a cake with fruit filling and frosting.  Not too complicated when you break it down.  Of course, this time the flavor is not just impressive but the size as well.  We went big with three whole layers.  Let's just say when you cut a slice of this for your family they will be stunned. 

As for the ingredients well, it uses some of our favorite new creations.  With spiked apples, salted caramel and whipped frosting.  If you can make all of those things plus a cake, then you are certainly able to pull this off.  Over all we wanted to do something different for our fall treats.  We're used to the same variety of pies at this time of year.  So, we wanted to switch our focus on other fall flavors.  We traded in gourds for apples and the results are splendid.  The cake is definitely large, but it is also definitely disappearing at the same rate as any other.  Which is more impressive because it seems to be three times the size of a regular cake.

I picked up everything for this recipe at the Sunset Foods in Long Grove.  They truly have the most amazing selection of groceries.  I just knew they'd have all the ingredients.  That's the great thing about Sunset, I can easily find what I'm looking for in one trip.  Whereas if I'd shopped elsewhere, I'd have had to go to multiple stores.

I'd recommend making the caramel and apples the day before to make things easier on yourself.  I went with McIntosh apples for this recipe because to me they just taste like sweettarts.  If you use different baking apples, you'll need to taste and adjust the sugar as needed.

Also the cake should be refrigerated at least 1-2 hours before serving.  This will make it a lot easier to slice as the buttercream frosting will firm up nicely.

Salted Caramel Sauce
1 cup raw sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

In a medium saucepan, cook sugar until it starts to melt and then whisk continuously until it's melted.  Remove whisk and occasionally swirl pan until caramel reaches 345 degrees.  Whisk in butter, be careful because mixture will bubble up a lot.  When butter is fully incorporated, slowly whisk in cream and then whisk in salt.  Allow to cool to room temperature, pour in a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Spiked Apple Filling

8 (2 1/2 lbs)McIntosh apples, peeled and thinly sliced
5 tablespoons raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 ounces of your favorite whisky

In a large saute pan combing apples, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until apples release their juices.  Meanwhile, whisk together cornstarch and lemon juice in a bowl.  When apples are juicy, slowly stir in cornstarch mixture and whisky allowing apples to cook until the juices have thickened.  Remove from heat and refrigerate until ready to use.

Three Layer Yellow Whisky Cake
4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups raw sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1/4 cup whisky

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, cut parchment circles to fit three 9-inch cake pans.  Grease cake pans and put parchment circles in the bottom of the pans.  Set aside.

Whisk together first four dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  In a mixer, cream butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy. 

A great tip to get your eggs warm faster, place them in a bowl and cover with warm water.  Change water at least once and your eggs will be ready in no time!

Add eggs one at time, mixing until incorporated then add vanilla and mix again.  After that alternate adding buttermilk and dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition.  You'll end up with a super thick cake batter.

Pour cake batter evenly into pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done when tested with a toothpick.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then cool on rack.

Salted Caramel Frosting
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 egg whites
12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup salted caramel sauce

Using a double boiler, make a slurry with the egg whites and sugar.  Whisk this over medium heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, mixture should be thick, white and opaque.  Remove from heat, scrape into mixing bowl and beat for 6 to 8 minutes until you have a shiny white meringue.

Beat in butter and continue to mix for 3 to 4 minutes.  Drizzle in caramel sauce and beat to incorporate.

Assembly

Place the first cake layer on a plate, top with 1/3 third of apples and top that with 1/3 of frosting.  Repeat with remaining two layers.  Once assembled, place in refrigerator until frosting has firmed up, 1 to 2 hours.  When ready, slice and serve.  Store remaining cake, covered in fridge.

Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosted Mocha Brownies

I've been dying to make brownies for a while now.  I hate using a box mix and there's really no excuse not to make brownies from scratch.  While they aren't hard to make from scratch, doing so requires a few more steps.  You've got to melt the chocolate and mix things in stages while making sure not to overmix the batter.

Another thing I've been meaning to try is this buttercream recipe I found in the Flour Too cookbook.  I've always heard buttercream is a nightmare to make.  (Well my mom says its not worth making, but she says that about a lot of things.)  Things can go wrong, but I lucked out on my first try.  It was incredibly simple to add melted caramel to the frosting.  Susie actually double dipped her brownie, the frosting was that good!

To add your brownie making delights, you can check out Desperately Seeking Sanity.  Our good friend Heather, a blogger caught up on the latest gossip, decided to give baking a try after we promised her the recipes would taste great even if they didn't turn out pretty.  It turns out that after some panicked texts that she had success with her apple galette!  She'll be certain to please her family again with these brownies!

Mocha Brownies
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 oz dark chocolate
2 oz semisweet chocolate
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder/instant coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla

Salted Caramel Buttercream
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites
12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
15 soft caramels
1 1/2 teaspoons milk

Let's start with the brownies.  If you don't have coconut oil, you can sub in 4 tablespoons butter or 4 tablespoons canola oil.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Depending on what you have on hand, line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil to form a sling.  A sling is where the paper hangs over the edges of the pan.  Doing this allows you to remove the entire contents all at once.  You can then easily cut them without worrying about them sticking to the pan.  Grease parchment or foil with butter or cooking spray.

Melt butter, coconut oil and chocolates in a double boiler on the stove.  A double boiler is basically a metal or glass bowl that fits over, so it hovers, the pan of boiling water.  The boiling water should not touch the bottom of the bowl.  When melted, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl.  In a large mixing bowl, cream eggs and sugar until they are light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.  Mix in vanilla.

Using a spatula or plastic scraper, gently mix in melted chocolate until incorporated.  Slowly fold in dry ingredients mix.  Bake 15-20 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, start working on the frosting.  Using the same bowl you used for a double boiler earlier, combine 3 large egg whites and sugar whisking together to form a thick slurry.  It will actually look kind of like a thick gooey mess.  Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk occasionally for 6-8 minutes.

Remove from heat and scrape into a medium sized mixing bowl and beat until mixture turns into a shiny white meringue and is cool to the touch, about 6-8 minutes.  Reduce the speed to low and add butter in chunks, mixing well after each addition.  Once all the butter has been added, beat another 3-4 minutes or until its thick and smooth.

This is when you'll want to melt the caramel.  You can do it on the stove or in the microwave.  Combine caramels and milk and heat until melted.

Pour melted caramel into buttercream and 1/2 teaspoon salt and beat to incorporate.  Stop and make sure to taste, adding more salt if needed.

When brownies are cool, remove from pan and frost.  Slice and serve.  Store remaining frosted brownies in the refrigerator.