hot apple cake with caramel sauce

My parents apple trees are laden with apples, and every time I visit them I come away with shopping bags full of apples. I have been making apple crumbles, because it is so easy and quick and delicious to make, but I have been browsing through my recipe books to find other things to make with apples. Hence I found this recipe in my beautiful "Home Made" cookbook, where fellow New Zealanders have sent in favourite family recipes and stories which were compiled into a gorgeous cookbook that I treasure.  

This recipe is called "Margaret's Hot Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce", sent in by her daughter Sandra Moore, who says "When mum baked a cake, it was an 'honouring process' for the recipient: "I've done this for you, you are special".  I added ginger to the recipe, and my flatmate and I certainly enjoyed the cake, and the caramel sauce added a decadent touch.

Margaret's Hot Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

3 medium apples (about 450g) peeled and cored

250g butter, chopped

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (I didn't have any, so just left them out)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.  Grease a 24cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper.  (I didn't have baking paper, so just greased it thoroughly with butter and dusted it with flour - it worked fine, the cake came out easily).

Finely slice the apples. 

 Beat the butter, vanilla essence and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the spices.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat until just combined.  Sift in the flour and baking soda.  Lastly add the apple and nuts (if using).

Spread mixture into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour.  Stand for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.  Dust with icing sugar if eating as a cake, or make the caramel sauce to serve hot as a dessert.  (This cake is suitable for freezing).

Caramel Sauce

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

300ml carton cream

1 Tbsp dark rum (optional)

Combine sugar and cream in a saucepan.  Stir over heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved.  Simmer, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Stir in the rum if using.  

 This cake was delicious served fresh from the oven with hot caramel sauce, and it was just as wonderful served with leftover caramel sauce the next day.  This cake didn't sit around in my house for very long!  I hope you and your whanau enjoy it just as much.