An autumnal pound cake that is warm and inviting and the sticky brown sugar icing is not only a pleasant touch, it envelops the richness of this crumbly moist melt in your mouth seasonal cake slice after slice.
Apple Pound Cake
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2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups light olive oil
3 large eggs
1 1 /2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon British mixed spice
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups firm apples, diced (about 3 to 4 medium sized apples)
1 cup chopped walnuts
Brown Sugar Butter Icing:
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1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon maple extract
Heat the butter and brown sugar together over low heat. Add the evaporated milk and allow it to come to a full boil. Remove from the heat and add the maple extract. Drizzle over cake.
Preheat oven to 325ºF (170ºC). Grease and flour a 9 inch tube pan.
Core the apples. With the skins still on dice the apples.
In a large bowl mix together the sugar and oil. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat well. Add the diced apples to the sugar and oil mixture and stir.
In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, British mixed spice and salt. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar and oil mixture and mix well. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared tube pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until cake is done, testing with a toothpick towards the centre, if it comes out clean with a few moist crumbs not wet and gooey.
When done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Gently run a knife down the sides and the inner sides of the pan be careful not to stick the knife into the cake or scratch the pan. Tap the pan firmly a few times to help loosen the cake. Place the wire rack or a plate over the base of the pan and invert the cake pan onto the plate and slowly lift the pan off and let the cake continue to cool on the plate.
When the cake is cool make the brown sugar butter icing, see recipe and instructions above, and drizzle over cake.