Apple Graham Cake with Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting

I just returned home from the Cowboy Poetry Festival in Loomis, and am happy to announce that I won second place in the Apple Baking Contest!

Here is the cake I entered and how to make it:


The Cake:
1cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup graham flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp bourbon
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup apple butter


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-in cake pans. Set aside.

Stir together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, Set aside.

In a mixer, combine butter and sugar. Beat on high until creamy. Beat
in eggs one at a time. Mix pumpkin, apple butter, and applesauce
(mixer on lowest setting) with the butter and sugars. Add eggs and
flavorings. By hand, stir in flour mixture until it is fully
incorporated.

Pour into prepared pans and bake cake until it is done. This should
take about 20-30 mins. Cake will be done when it pulls away from the
sides of the pan and turns golden on top.

Let the cakes cool in their pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert
pans and let cool completely.



Apple Filling:
1/2 cup apple butter
1/2 cup caramel icing
(before adding powdered sugar in the caramel icing recipe)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp bourbon

Combine apple butter with a little of the caramel icing (recipe below) before the extra powdered sugar and peanut flour are added. Then add the 1/2 powdered sugar and bourbon. Mix until incorporated.


Peanut Butter Caramel Icing:
2 cups brown sugar (packed)
1 cup butter
1/4 milk
1 Tbs vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup peanut flour

Melt butter and brown sugar and, boil for 2 mins, then add the milk
and vanilla.... Let the mixture come to a boil again and then let sit
for thirty minutes.

Remove one half cup of the mixture and add to the apple butter
mixture. (this will be the apple butter filling.)

Then add one cup powdered sugar and one cup peanut flour to finish the frosting.


Apple Topping:
1/2 pound apples, sliced up as you like
1/2 stick butter ,
1/2 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon

Melt butter and sugar and cook apples until they are browned and caramelized.

When cakes have finished cooling, use serrated knife to level off the
top "layer" and then place this layer on the bottom of a plate. Spread
this layer with the apple butter and then half the apple topping.

Top with the other layer then spread on more of the apple butter filling.

Then pour the caramel frosting over the cake and set it spread over.
Then top the cake with the remaining apples. Let the cake set up, and
then drizzle one last time with the caramel topping.

Serves 10-12.

Calories? We won't even go there.

Thanks to the kind folks at the Loomis Cowpoke Fall Gathering. This celebration of poetry and music supports the Blue Goose Fruit Shed Renovation Project. If you ever get a chance to check it out, I recommend doing so. It's beautiful and so interesting.

And now a little David Gray...