Kate's Sticky Toffee Apple Caramel Cake

By cgipe

Ingredients

• Sponge layers:
• 2 1/2 c butter, softened
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/2 c flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 T ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 c dried apple rings or slices, finely chopped
• Caramel buttercream:
• 1 c sugar
• 1 c cream
• 3/4 c butter, softened
• 1/2 c 10X sugar
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Toffee apples
• 2 Bramley apples, peeled
• 1 c sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Put the dates and apple juice in pan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently for 10 minutes, until thick and soft. Remove from heat and mash the contents to make a thick puree. Cool
Heave the oven to 350. Put the butter in mixing bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes until very light. Add sugar and beat 5 more minutes. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition. Sift baking powder and ground spices and fold in. Add cooled date mixture and dried apple. Divide into 3 cake tins. 20-22 minutes. Cool.
Caramel buttercream: Put sugar and 3 T water into pan over low heat. In another pan, heat the cream until almost boiling. Once sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat and boil until the syrup turns caramel brown. Remove from heat and pour in warmed cream. In mixer, beat butter 2-3 minutes. Add 10X sugar and mix 5 minutes. Beat in cream cheese, cold caramel and vanilla. Cover and chill until spreadable.
Toffee apples: use the melon baller to cut out balls of apple. Pat dry. Dissolve sugar and 3 T water and then boil to a rich caramel. Remove from heat and stir in apple. Let sit 3 minutes until caramel thickens, then remove apple and set aside on waxed paper.
To assemble cake, spread each layer with buttercream and apples. Ice top and sides of cake. Put toffee apples on top of cake.