Caramel Apple Pound Cake

Ingredients

Pound Cake

• 8 ounce cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3 sticks butter
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups cake flour sifted
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Sauteed Apples

• 4 granny smith apples peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons rum
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Caramel Icing

• 1 stick butter
• 12 ounce evaporated milk 1 can
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Direction

Make the Pound Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Add room temperature cream cheese, shortening and butter to large mixing bowl and begin creaming until smooth.
3. Slowly add sugar to bowl and cream until light and fluffy.
4. Add one egg at a time and mix until incorporated.
5. Slow mixer to slower speed and add flour one cup at a time into bowl until just incorporated. Do not overbeat at this point. Add vanilla extract to bowl and mix.
6. Once everything is incorporated, pour cake batter into greased and floured or baking sprayed bundt or tube pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20-25 minutes.
7. Cool in the pan for ten minutes and then invert cake on a wire rack or serving plate to finish cooling.

Make the Sauteed Apples

1. Melt butter and lemon juice in pan over low heat.
2. Add sugar, mix and turn heat up to medium heat. Watch until butter and sugar mixture begins to turn a caramel brown color which takes up to 8 minutes (make sure you do not burn!!).
3. Add in thinly sliced apples, cream, vanilla extract and rum and cook until tender over medium heat for 15-18 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes until just warm.

Caramel Icing

1. Add butter, evaporated milk, vanilla and sugar to saucepan over medium heat until everything has melted together. Leave over medium to low heat for 35-45 minutes until caramel begins to boil and thicken. Be careful to watch, adjusting heat temperature to not let it burn.
2. Remove from heat and cool for about 10 minutes to slightly thicken.

Assemble the Cake

1. Move cake cooling on wire rack to a plate or serving platter.
2. Pour the apples over the top of pound cake. Then pour the caramel icing over the apples and cake.