cheeryApple cake:
2 1/4 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups baked, mashed apples (or applesauce)
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a 2:1:1 ratio, to taste. (I have no idea how much I put it.)
Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour cake pan(s). Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, scraping and blending until smooth. Pour into pans.
Bake 30-45 minutes, depending on pan. (Layers are about 30, Bundt pans are closer to 45) Cool the cake.
Caramel-cinnamon topping
14 oz (one can) dulce de leche (make by boiling 1 can of sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours, completely covered in water)
1 cup cinnamon chips
Mix together in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until smooth and pour onto cooled cake.
Enjoy!
I baked the apples myself for this one. I took three apples, sliced them, and threw them in a pan half covered in water. On top I tossed maybe two tablespoons of dark brown sugar, a teaspoon or so of cinnamon (bit more, probably), half a teaspoon of nutmeg, and a generous pinch of allspice. (That stuff is potent!) I baked it for an hour or so, checking it and stirring the apples around every twenty minutes, give or take. Then I smashed it to teeny bits with a potato masher and threw it in a cake!
For a healthier cake, omit half (or all, if you're feeling ballsy) of the shortening and add half as much milk as you removed shortening. So if you take out 1/4 cup of shortening, add 1/8 a cup milk. Or more apples!
