Aunt Polly’s Fresh Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Fondue

This recipe gives instructions for baking the cake, making a glaze AND for making a salted caramel fondue topping. The cake is delcious with the glaze poured over it OR with the warm fondue poured over it. Or both! The topping options are yours to choose and included below.

For the cake:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla. Set aside. In another large bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Sift this mixture 2 times. By hand, mix oil alternately with dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Fold in the chopped apples, nuts, and raisins. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Place pan in a 325ºF preheated oven. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven and pour caramel glaze over cake while cake is still hot.

For the glaze:
Add the sugar, syrup, buttermilk, butter, and soda to a medium sauce pan. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until sauce reaches the soft ball stage (I use a candy thermometer), then add the vanilla. Pour glaze over cake while the cake is still hot.

For the salted caramel fondue:
Unwrap the caramels and place them in a large microwave safe bowl. Add the evaporated milk. Microwave the caramels and milk a minute at a time, stirring after each minute, until caramels and milk form a smooth caramel sauce. Add the marshmallows to the warm caramel mixture and stir until marshmallows are melted and well mixed. Add the sea salt and stir. Fondue can be kept warm in a crock pot over low heat. When ready to serve cake, pour fondue over a warmed slice of fresh apple cake. Yum!

Store any leftover cake and caramel sauce in separate containers in refrigerator.