An excellent spiced apple raisin cake that uses mayonnaise as an ingredient. You can frost this cake with either the cream cheese frosting or the caramel icing--either one is great on this cake. The caramel frosting will require a bit more time and effort but you won't be dissapointed with the seriously delectable results!!! By far the best apple cake I ever made.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour 2 9-inch round baking pans* (see note); set aside.
In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Add the mayonnaise, milk and eggs. With electric mixer, beat at low speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl frequently (batter will be very thick). Dust apples, raisins and nuts with a fine layer of flour then stir into the batter with a spoon. Evenly spoon batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely before frosting. Fill and frost with cream cheese frosting or caramel icing. If desired, sprinkle the top with additional chopped nuts to garnish.
*note: This cake is also good baked in a 9x13x2-inch baking dish and it is a lot easier! Cut the frosting recipe in half if you do it this way.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese one piece at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until no lumps remain.
Makes 3 cups, enough frosting for one 2-layer 8- or 9-inch cake.
Caramel Icing (optional):
Combine 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, the cream, and the salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Stir together the remaining 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small, heavy skillet (preferably one that has a pouring lip). Cook the sugar mixture over medium heat, without stirring, until it melts and turns an amber color, about 10 minutes.
Add the caramelized sugar to the simmering sugar and cream mixture a little at a time, stirring it up from the bottom (adding the caramelized sugar all at once will cause the mixture to boil over). Cook on medium heat until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (it will register 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer, and when a spoonful is dropped into a dish of very cold water, it will come together into a soft, malleable ball), about 10 minutes.
Take the mixture off the heat and stir in the butter and baking soda. Let cool slightly, or speed the process by placing the bottom of the saucepan in a pan of ice water and stirring constantly. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it begins to lose gloss but is still easy to spread, two to three minutes. (When frosting the cake, thin the caramel icing with a little more warm cream if it becomes too thick to spread.)
My mother taught me to toast nuts (to crisp and bring out their essential oils) prior to adding them into batters...raw nuts are steamed in the batter as it cooks and end up soft and flavorless, toasted nuts are also steamed but retain much of their crunchiness and intensified nutty flovor.
Using freshly grated nutmeg is key to any recipe calling for nutmeg. If you don't have whole nutmeg to grate, get some!!!
Cut apples turn brown when oxygen in the air reacts with a natural substance in apples called phenolase and turns the cut surfaces brown. Mild acids like lemon juice can stop this reaction. Tossing cut apple chunks with a little lemon juice will keep them from turning brown or place apples in water that has had lemon juice added to make it acidulated. Use approximately 1/4 cup lemon juice to 1 quart of cold water. Do not over soak the apples. Drain and pat dry before using.
Another method is to place the apples in apple juice until ready to use. The acidity in the apple juice prevents the apples from browning and doesn't change the flavor of the apple. Drain and pat dry before using.
For softer plumper raisins; try soaking them in some hot water and dark rum (optional) for about 15 minutes, then drained well before using.
Chopped nuts and fruit should be coated with a fine layer of flour before adding them to cake batter. This makes them distribute more evenly and keeps the, from sinking to the bottom.
View line-by-line Nutrition Insights™: Discover which ingredients contribute the calories/sodium/etc.
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Serving Size: 1 Serving (518g) | ||
Recipe Makes: 12 | ||
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Calories: 1808 | ||
Calories from Fat: 452 (25%) | ||
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Amt Per Serving | % DV | |
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Total Fat 50.3g | 67 % | |
Saturated Fat 18g | 90 % | |
Monounsaturated Fat 13.8g | ||
Polyunsanturated Fat 14.3g | ||
Cholesterol 261.7mg | 81 % | |
Sodium 653.1mg | 23 % | |
Potassium 403.2mg | 11 % | |
Total Carbohydrate 333.1g | 98 % | |
Dietary Fiber 4.1g | 16 % | |
Sugars, other 329g | ||
Protein 18.2g | 26 % | |
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition. |
Calories per serving: 1808
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