Happy Birthday, Pete and Petey!

We celebrated two birthdays this weekend...my brother Pete, and his son Petey who turned 5.  Petey is a HUGE Transformers fan, so my sister-in-law ordered a special themed cake for him from her local bakery.  As for my brother, he got what you see here.  And right about now, I'm wishing I had another piece.  

This cake screams fall - and the timing was perfect since we'd gone apple picking the day before.  We picked a ton of Macouns before we got caught in a hail storm - crazy stuff!

This is a very dense cake, and the frosting hardens pretty easily...so, it's a little challenging to handle, but the end result is 100% worth it.  Just be careful as you're taking the cakes out of the pans, and take extra care when applying the frosting.  Stir in a little bit of extra heavy cream to loosen the frosting if need be.  I had to add a few tablespoons more as I was icing the cake.

I highly recommend this cake to bring along to a dinner party, to a potluck...even for Thanksgiving.  It's perfect for the season and very impressive!  And of course, it's delicious.  I mean, how could it not be - caramel and apple -YUM!

Caramel Apple Cake
slightly adapted from The Cozy Little Kitchen

For the cake:
3 cups apples, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
chopped pecans (for topping)

For the frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 (16 oz) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 8 inch round pans.  Mix sugar into apples and let sit for 15 minutes.

Combine all other cake ingredients and mix.  Add apple mixture and mix until combined.  Pour evenly into pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from center of cakes.  Let cool for about 30 minutes before removing from pans.  Ice cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

To make the frosting:  Melt butter in a saucepan, then add brown sugar and heavy cream.  Bring to a boil, then transfer to mixing bowl.  Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until creamed together well.  Icing will be thick and rich.  If too thick to spread, add a little more cream after you remix before icing cake. Make sure frosting is cool before applying to cake.

Linked to:  Sweet Tooth Friday