Caramelized Apple Cake

Serves 8
Prep Time: 25 min.
Total Time: 1 hour 20 min.

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider or juice
   1 Tbsp lemon juice 
   1 Tbsp stick butter
   4 medium Cortland or Fuji apples (1 1/2 lb), peeled and cored, each cut into 8 wedges


Cake:
1/2 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
   1 tsp baking powder
   1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
   2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup nonfat buttermilk


1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. You’ll need a 9 x 2-in. round cake pan coated with nonstick spray. 


2. Topping: Mix sugar and cider in a large nonstick skillet; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 4 minutes or until light honey color. Add lemon juice and butter; reduce heat to medium. When butter is melted, boil mixture 1 minute or until light golden.  Add apples, flat sides down; cook 8 minutes, turning apples with a fork after 4 minutes, until lightly caramelized and crisp-tender. Remove from heat, cool 5 minutes.


3. Cake: Pour apple mixture into cake pan; arrange apples in concentric circles. Beat butter, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, baking soda, spice and salt with a mixer in a medium bowl 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended. Beat in flour and buttermilk alternately, in three additions, until batter is smooth. Pour batter over apples; spread to edge of pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until a pick inserted in center comes out clean.


4. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate. Cool until cake is just warm, then serve (it’s also delicious at room temperature).