Ingredients
For the Cake
1 box of white or yellow cake mix (any brand)
3 granny smith apples peeled and diced
2 tbs flour
For the Cinnamon Swirl
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup of butter
1 heaping tbsp cinnamon
1tsp sugar
For the Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp whole milk
For the Caramel
1 jar of ice cream caramel or make your own
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F
Mix the cake mix according to directions on the package and set aside
Mix the diced apples with the 2 tbsp of flour
Gently fold the apples into the cake mixture
Pour into a greased or buttered 9 x 13 pan
Mix together the cinnamon swirl ingredients
Drop a heaping tbsp. of the mixture at regular intervals on the cake
Using a knife, swirl the mixture into the cake mix (do not overmix, you want it to look streaky like a cinnamon roll)
Place the cake into the oven and bake 30-40 min until
cake is done and passes the toothpick test
Let the cake cool while you make the icing
Mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until desired consistency
Pour the prepared icing (as much as you want to add) on the cake in any pattern you wish
Pour the caramel (as much as you want to add) over the cake in any pattern you wish. If the caramel is a bit too solid to pour, heat for a few seconds in the microwave until it is pourable
The Story:
Once more I must say…I am not a baker. I find that baking is a very fickle thing and the science is a mystery to me. However, the usage of store-bought mixes makes this pretty darn easy. You can make your own cake mix if you like. Any vanilla or yellow cake mix will do. You can also make your own caramel, which I have done on occasion. Caramel is just butter, brown sugar, vanilla, a pinch of salt and some heavy cream heated in a pan. Nothing much to it! This dish is perfect for dessert, breakfast, or even a coffee break snack. Yes, there is a lot of sugar here. No, I won’t apologize for it! Everything in moderation is ok. I wouldn’t recommend eating the whole thing in one sitting, it’s perfect for sharing. You could probably even use apple pie filling if you wanted to replace the fresh apples but would need to reduce some of the liquid from the cake mix. I’m sure at some point I’ll take the time to test it out, or you can do it and let me know how it works out. Gosh though, just looking at the gooey goodness makes my mouth water, why would I want to mess up a good thing?