Cider Cake With Dark Caramel Nut Frosting

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, seperated
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup cider
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup light cream
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350*.
• 2 in a large mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes.
• 3 in a small bowl, beat the egg yolks throughly, and add to the butter mixture.
• 4 sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves, and cinnamon.
• 5 add this to the butter mixture alternately with the cider, beginning and ending with the flour.
• 6 in a large mixer bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula.
• 7 pour the batter into a greased 9x13" pan and bake for 30 minutes or until cake just shrinks away from the sides of the pan and the top springs back when touched with your finger.
• 8 while the cake is baking, prepare the frosting, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cream and butter.
• 9 bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes.
• 10 whisking all the time.
• 11 lover the heat if necessary -- stir in the nuts and vanilla and keep warm.
• 12 as soon as the cake is removed from the oven -- pour the warm caramel over the top --
• 13 let the cake cool in the pan before cutting into squares and serving.