Caramel and apples are seemingly a match made in heaven. The crunchiness and tartness of the apple, together with the smooth, rich sweetness of the caramel, combine in your mouth to create a luxurious combination that is pretty close to heaven, if such a thing could exist on your tongue.
This magical combination, often found in gigantic caramel apples sold at the shopping mall, is a wonder in a Bundt cake. A ring-shaped cake, with juicy bits of apple, a caramel sauce, and even a cream cheese ribbon going through it? What glorious events must have transpired for this concoction to be have been born?
Apple was the apple of her mother’s eye. Or so her mother claimed, to explain her rather peculiar name that predated Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter. Apple suspected it was just because her Chinese mother didn’t really know English when she was born, and “apple” was one of the few words she did know. She was often teased at school about her botanical name. “Can I take a bite out of you?” “How about them apples?” and so forth. Kids are mean. At least she wasn’t named Kumquat. Think of the insults that name would have gotten.
Apple, now in college, was a good student. Though quiet and reserved, she had beautiful, long black hair surrounding her small, round face, a face that caused many a classmate to look in her direction when she sat down in class. One day, a tall, handsome Asian boy that she couldn’t help but notice in her chemistry class finally came up to her.
“Hi, I’m Kevin,” said the tall Asian boy, and Apple’s pulse quickened right as blood rushed to her cheeks. “I noticed you seem to be really good at taking notes. I was wondering if you wanted to be my lab partner?”
“I’m Apple,” she replied, barely avoiding a stammer as she stared deep into his large, almond eyes. “Sure, I’m looking for a lab partner, too.” She managed to sound just enthusiastic enough without seeming desperate. Kevin smiled in response, a smile that nearly caused her knees to buckle.
Luckily for Kevin, he wasn’t just a pretty face; he had quite a bit of intelligence in that cranium behind his beautiful smile. They would steal glances at each other while operating the Bunsen burner, smile ever so slightly while pipetting into test tubes. They began to spend time outside the laboratory, working on problem sets at the café, or studying for a test in the meadow outside of the library.
But Apple, innocent as she was, didn’t know how to take their relationship to the next step. She so desperately wanted to kiss Kevin, to feel that physical bond with him that would cement her as his girlfriend. Why hadn’t he kissed her yet? Was she not pretty enough? Was she not giving off the right signals? Was he gay?
She knew that his birthday was coming up. Not that she was stalking him or anything, of course, but they were friends on Facebook, and his birthday was listed as an upcoming event. Kevin had invited Apple to a birthday gathering at a local restaurant, with some of his friends. She couldn’t get him some big, fancy present. What if nobody else at the party was giving him a present? Then it would make him feel uncomfortable, she would blush, and it would just be a disaster. Oh but a cake, what if she made him a cake instead? Then she could show him that she was thinking about him, without being too over the top in her emotion.
Apple wanted the cake to be memorable. She wanted Kevin to think of her whenever he thought of this birthday. How would she put enough of herself into the cake that he would think of her when he thought of the cake?
Her namesake, of course. The apple. She would make an apple cake. She had some Honeycrisp apples on her counter. But what else to put in the cake? She scoured her fridge and found some cream cheese. That was it! The tanginess of the cream cheese would go so well with the apples. And then perhaps a nice caramel sauce on top.
The night before the birthday dinner, Apple started making her cake. She mixed up a typical cake batter, with sugar, butter, eggs, and flour, along with some nutmeg to complement the apples. She tossed in some diced apples and poured it into her Bundt pan. Her Bundt pan was her favorite pan. It made such beautifully tall cakes in an attractive ring.
She mixed up some of the cream cheese with sugar and an egg and swirled it around in the batter. After putting it in the oven to bake, she started on her caramel sauce. She mixed together some brown sugar, butter, and cream in a pan until it thickened into a beautiful sauce. She poured this into a jar, and soon the cake was ready. The golden brown ring smelled heavenly as it exited the oven, a halo of earthy apples and tangy cream cheese that would soon be entering Kevin’s beautiful mouth.
Apple made herself look extra pretty the next night. She put on her sleeveless black dress, tied her hair up instead of leaving it in a lazy ponytail like she usually did, and she put on makeup, something she hardly ever did for class. When she arrived at the restaurant, cake in tow, Kevin was already there with a couple of his friends. His eyes lit up upon her entrance. “You look beautiful tonight,” Kevin said to Apple, as he hugged her warmly.
She wanted this moment to last forever, the warmth of his body surrounding her arms, the faint scent of his cologne tickling her nose, his face dangerously close to hers as it rested on her shoulder. “Happy birthday Kevin!” she said breathlessly when he pulled away. “I made this cake for you. I hope you like it.” She handed him a box with the cake in it, and Kevin’s smile widened.
Though they were seated a few seats apart, engaged in conversation with their respective neighbors, throughout dinner they kept glancing at each other, smiling every time their eyes met. The dinner could not end fast enough. Their glances were increasing in frequency, so that by the end of the dinner, they were looking at each other every five seconds.
Kevin’s friends departed, after he gave an excuse of needing to do homework that night instead of going out for drinks after dinner. He had offered to walk Apple home after dinner. Though his ploy to get alone time with her was rather transparent, she didn’t care. She wanted him. He wanted her.
“I loved your cake, Apple,” Kevin said as they ambled toward her apartment. “Thank you so much, it must have taken you forever to make it.”
“Oh no problem, I’m glad you liked it!” Apple tittered. She felt his arm around her waist. Was it finally happening? Was there going to be a good-night kiss?
They talked about the last chemistry lecture, how his friend Michael was already drunk after only two drinks at dinner, how their Asian parents were nagging them about grades. And soon they were right in front of her apartment building. “Well, thanks for coming. Good night,” said Kevin, as his face approached hers.
She closed her eyes. She had been waiting for this moment for weeks. His soft lips touched hers, and she felt electricity. Apple could feel the excitement tingling throughout her body entire. “Do you want to come in?” she said impulsively, after their lips had unlocked.
Who was Kevin to turn down an invitation from this beautiful woman? He followed Apple up to her third-floor apartment. It was small but neatly organized. She offered him some beer, which he readily accepted. This girl bakes and drinks beer, Kevin noted to himself. Here’s a keeper.
They chatted some more, their laughter becoming louder as their beer cans became emptier. The space between them on the couch grew smaller, until their lips met yet again, this time their tongues exploring each other’s mouths. Apple was getting wetter than a swamp after a rainstorm and was also hoping that Kevin wasn’t noticing her dampness. Blood was meanwhile rushing towards Kevin’s groin, which he also was hoping that Apple didn’t notice.
Their kissing becoming more urgent, they slowly made their way to her bed nearby, as Kevin gently deposited Apple onto it like a fish monger laying salmon onto parchment. He slid her dress off of her as if it were a banana peel, leaving her in her bra and panties in front of him. Egalitarian that he was, Kevin removed his shirt to be in an equal state of undress, revealing his nicely toned, hairless chest. More kisses followed, their tongues dancing with each other, and Apple’s bra clasp was easily undone by his deft hand. Her breasts were small but perky, two headlights shining right into his eyes. His hands rubbed the left headlight, playing with it like a monkey plays with food.
The belt buckle was the next article of his clothing to go, followed closely by his pants. His erection was visible in his boxer shorts, and Apple could feel it against her panties, which were becoming more and more saturated by the second. Only one garment on each person was keeping them from complete nudity; these last impediments were quickly removed, their genitals rubbing against each other, producing moans from each participant.
Apple had never been this far with a man. It was all she imagined and more. She was completely enveloped in his warm body, his member rubbing against her sex, which had remained untouched all these decades. She had waited for this moment, and she had lost herself in it, surrendering to his lead. He pulled out a condom from his wallet and put it on quickly, as if he had put dozens of these on in his lifetime. How many women had he been with? The question flashed through her mind, but she quickly forgot it, and Kevin entered her. He encountered the resistance that marked a virgin, and he pressed gently to get through the barrier, causing Apple to wince slightly. But the pleasure outweighed the pain; she desperately wanted him fully inside of her.
Moments later, Kevin was buried to the hilt inside of her, and the thrusting commenced. She moaned as his penis rubbed against her clitoris, a sensation she had never experienced with a man. Sweat started forming on both of their bodies, physical evidence of the passion between them. The pressure in both of their groins was increasing, the pleasure heightening with every thrust. Apple was dangerously close to climax. She recognized this from her solo sessions, the seconds before the dam burst, the anticipation of letting all of that built-up pressure go.
She moaned a primal moan, the pure ecstasy causing her to fly high into the sky, the elation elevating her into the clouds. Her moan was enough to set Kevin off, as he, too, let out a moan, along with his fluids into the condom. The torrent that erupted from his penis was almost enough to fill the whole thing up. He quickly withdrew from her, and they both collapsed on the bed, sweaty and breathless.
This must be what happiness is like, Apple said to herself, thanking the stars that her apple cake concoction had performed such magic.
OK so this cake was good, but perhaps not as good as Kevin found it. The original recipe is here.
Caramel Apple Bundt Cake
Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped apples (about 3 medium apples)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
Cream Cheese Layer
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Glaze
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Grease a 9- or 10-inch Bundt pan, and preheat the oven to 350F.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Peel, core, and dice apples to get three cups of diced apples.
- Toss the diced apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Mix the diced apples with the dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Mix together the vegetable oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until well-mixed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well after adding each one.
- Stir in the flour mixture until combined.
- Drain excess liquid from the apple mixture and stir it into the batter until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased Bundt pan.
- Beat the softened cream cheese together with the sugar, vanilla extract, and egg until smooth.
- Dig a channel about 1 inch deep in the center of the batter and spoon the cream cheese mixture into the channel so that there is a ring of cream cheese going around the center of the cake.
- Swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter using a butter knife.
- Bake the cake at 350F for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few crumbs.
- Mix the glaze ingredients (butter, brown sugar, white sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract) in a small pan, and put it over medium high heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for one minute while stirring constantly.
- Pour the glaze over the cake while still in the Bundt pan, and let it cool.
- After the cake has cooled, turn the cake out onto a plate and store in the refrigerator for up to two days, covered.
- Make the caramel sauce by mixing the butter, brown sugar, cream, and salt in a saucepan on medium-low heat.
- Bring the caramel mixture to a simmer, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes while whisking constantly, allowing the mixture to thicken slightly.
- Add the vanilla extract and cook for another minute.
- Turn off the heat and pour into a jar to refrigerate.
- Warm the caramel sauce slightly before drizzling it on the cake when serving.
The batter without the apples. Quite fragrant with the cinnamon and nutmeg.
And then the diced apples tossed in lemon juice, brown sugar, and vanilla extract are stirred in, creating this delightfully chunky batter.
Into a Bundt pan. This is back before I had the Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Heritage Bundt Pan that I always use now for Bundt cakes.
The cream cheese layer, made up of cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and an egg.
Swirled into the cake batter, it turns it a pale color.
After an hour and 15 minutes in the oven, it’s done.
The glaze, with butter, brown sugar, white sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla.
The glaze gets poured on top of the baked cake so that it soaks in.
Onto a cake circle, somehow in one piece.
The moist crumb on the inside.
With the caramel sauce, which complements the apple flavor nicely.
I really liked this cake. Though it is quite a few ingredients, it’s not that hard, and I would definitely make it again.