Apple Cake with Sage Caramel #TheCakeSliceBakers

Here we are the October edition of the Cake Slice Bakers. For 2020, we have been baking from The New Way to Cake: Simple Recipes with Exceptional Flavor by Benjamina Ebuehi.* I can't believe this year is almost over. I have really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see which book is selected for 2021.

In this group, we are given a selection of three cake recipes. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

Our choices for October 2020 were...

Apple Cake with Sage Caramel

• All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Amandie Bakes
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Camille Cooks
• Sweet Sensations

Malted Chocolate Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Ganache

• Making Miracles
• A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Karen's Kitchen Stories

Caramelized Plantain Upside-Down Cake 

• A Little Bit of All Right

Apple Cake with Sage Caramel

All of the cakes looked good. But mine was decided by the sage plants in our garden. D picked and I got to work. This cake just feels like autumn. Ebuehi suggests using a mandolin slicer for the apples, but didn't give a thickness, so I tried two different settings. The thicker slices worked better. Also I added more spices to the cake and substituted mascarpone into the frosting instead of cream cheese because that's what I had in the fridge.

Ingredients makes one 8-inch cake

Apple Crisps

• 1 organic apple
• Also needed: mandolin slicer, optional; baking sheet

Cake

• 2 organic apples
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oil (I used a canola oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1-1/3 cup flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Sage Caramel

• 1/2 cup organic heavy whipping cream
• 8 to 10 fresh sage leaves plus a few for garnish
• 1 cup organic granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Frosting

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup organic powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup mascarpone

 

Procedure

Apple Crisps

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice apples (the thicker slices worked better for me!) and place them on a silicone mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake them until they are dry to the touch and have begun to curl at the edges. Mine took about 55 minutes. Transfer crisps to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cake

Peel and core apples, then roughly chop them. Place apple in a saucepan with water and simmer until softened, approximately 10 minutes. Drain the mash them with a fork to form a chunky sauce.

Whisk together eggs and sugar until the eggs are pale and thick. Drizzle in the oil. Then stir in the apple sauce, vanilla, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Stir until everything is moistened and well-combined.

Turn the batter out into a parchment paper-lined baking dish. Place in the oven and bake for 38 to 40 minutes. The cake should be well-browned and spring back when you touch it. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. While the cake cools, make the caramel.

Sage Caramel

Add the cream and sage to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let the sage infuse into the cream for 15 to 20 minutes; the longer you leave it, the more pronounced the flavor. Once it's cool, discard the leaves. In a medium skillet, heat the sugar until it melts and turns a honey color. Swirl the pan to help the sugar dissolve evenly.

When the sugar is completely dissolved and caramelized, pour in the cream very carefully. It will bubble up violently when the cold cream hits the hot sugar. Use a whisk to incorporate the cream. When everything is smooth, add in the salt and remove from the heat.

Frosting

To make the frosting, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until pale and creamy. Add in the mascarpone and beat until smooth. Add in 2 to 3 Tablespoons of the caramel and beat until smooth again.

Finishing

Spoon the frosting on top of the apple cake and spread it to the edges. Arrange the apple crisps and sage leaves on top.

Drizzle with sage caramel and serve immediately.

Jake said that the caramel should be in the center, too. So, he sliced the cake into two layers and drizzled some inside! It did look good that way.

That's a wrap for October's #TheCakeSliceBakers. I'm looking forward to November's choices though I haven't decided which one I am going to try. Stay tuned.

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.