Big news!
It just so happens that we adopted a kitten! Yes we did! A 9 week old ball of fluff. Our little lady is an adorable, teensy, cream coloured Himalayan-Tabby cross named Cosette, Coco for short. She is extremely affectionate and would love to meet you as long as you promise to bring the playtime fun. Maybe you can even enjoy a slice of sticky apple cake while you stop by? :)
Do you like kittens? (Truly though, who doesn’t). Or are you more of a canine lover? Growing up, I lived in a household that teemed with people, children and animals. It was a little overwhelming at times but looking back I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Over the course of my childhood we had so many pets! Get ready for the list.
We had: a school of neon-tetras, a scary angel-fish named Angelica, 2 budgies (who flew away one day when we were on vacation), 2 escape-artist hamsters (who we rescued from our furnace vents), 6 rabbits (Freckles, Racer, Hazel-Jessica, Liquorice, Flopsey, Mopsey) a litter of 9 teensy baby bunnies (Licorice and Flopsey had a thing), a chirpy love-bird named Calypso and one incredible 19 year old, loveable cat named Max. Yes my parents are a wonder team! Needless to say, I am now a huge animal lover.
Our door hasn’t stayed shut since our little one arrived on Sunday. With all the kitty attention and friends dropping by to say hello, I decided to bake something sweet and comforting to share with my favourite kitten enthusiasts. This cake seemed the perfect fit. It’s easy to whip up, uses kitchen staples and has a cinnamony spiciness that pairs so well with a steeped pot of tea. Just the dessert for an afternoon teatime-kitten date. Oh and it is drizzled in a thick, gooey, warm caramel sauce. Need I say more?
Caramel Apple Cake
Yield: 1 cake (serves 10-12). Time: 1 hour 30 mins Temp: 325 degrees.
Supplies: 1 bundt pan. (If you don’t have a bundt pan you can bake the cake in two circular cake pans and then stack.)
Cake 3 cups flour 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup butter, melted 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 3 tsp vanilla 4 cups apples, peeled and diced (about 3 regular apples) 1/2 cup pecans Caramel Sauce 1/4 cup butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 3/4 cup whipping cream (or milk)
Directions
Cake: 1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. (Dries) 2. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, oil, eggs and extract. (Wets) 3. Peel and chop apples until they are little kitten bite sized bits. Measure out pecans and set aside. 4. Stir wets into dries until only just combined. Fold in apples and pecans. 5. Spoon batter into a greased bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick/wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 15 mins, then unmold and cool on rack. Caramel Sauce: 1. Melt butter and sugar over medium heat stirring for 5 mins until butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Add cream/milk stirring as you pour and stir until thickened on medium heat. (5-10 mins). 2. Slice and serve warm cake with caramel sauce. Note: Cake especially delicious when served in good company. Oh and perhaps with a smidgen of some vanilla ice cream? Recipe from the brilliant Whitewater Cooks by Shelley Adams. One of my top 5 favourite cookbooks out there! Highly recommend this cookbook for all you baking enthusiasts :)
I know this cake isn’t perhaps the most seasonal of cakes out there (apple season has long past), but it is so lovely it could suit any occasion I imagine. Plus who doesn’t have an apple kicking around at all times of the year? Whether you’re baking it for your best friend’s potluck, as a way to use up some apples or to serve at a spring picnic I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do (and am continuing to!). With every bite, the caramel sauce has a gorgeous way of oozing into the moist apple, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon spiced cake. I hope you enjoy this delicious, sticky, wonderful treat!
Oh, and by the way, here is a photograph of our sweetheart (isn’t she the loveliest?):
(my heart does little flutters every time I see her. Proud mama.)
I hope you have a wonderful week full of bike rides, fresh vegetables and kitten cuddles (now you know where to find them) :)
Blue Owl Treats 
Right now I would love a piece of that cake. Looks positively YUM!
I’m very jealous of your kitty. Looks like one of my favourite cats Humus. Do you remember her? Probably not…now that i think about it. You were probably born about the same time as Humus’s kittens. You were all very sweet.
I don’t remember Humus, but I bet she was beautiful and that you gave her a great free and wild life in your beautiful garden. I want to bring our Coco up to the cabin once she’s a bit older. There is no cat that’s happier than an outdoor cat. PS I should get my mom to bring some gâteaux up for you!
Aww, so cute! Your list of animals sounds a lot like mine growing up! Cake looks delicious too!
Thank you so much! What kind of pets did you have? I had so much fun reminiscing about it all! I had a good laugh because I forgot how many we actually had..
We had all sorts over the years! The fluffy kind, rabbits, guinea pigs,ferrets, a hamster, a cat and a dog, and the not so fluffy kind – a lizard, a tarantula and various other bugs (the perils of brothers!). I’m in a pet free house at the moment and I do miss having them about!
that’s so funny.. lizards and tarantulas are totally little boy pets. I only had 1 brother and I guess that’s why we got away with having so many bunnies :) By the way I checked out your blog and I love it! Will for sure be checking in to see your amazing recipes!
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