Fresh Apple Cake

By smleonard

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 1-1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 1 tablespoon ground apple pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups peeled and diced apples
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• For the Glaze:
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons apple cider or orange juice
• 2 tablespoons dark rum, optional

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10 inch bundt pan generously and dust with flour.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar, add eggs one at a time incorporating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

Combine the flour, apple pie spice and salt in a bowl. Add to the batter and combine until the batter is smooth. Fold in apples, pecans and raising. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake on middle rack of oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. For the glaze, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat; add the sugar and stir to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 5 minutes.

Cool cake 10 minutes. Pour half of warm glaze over the bottom of the cake. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack. Place a plate under the cooling rack. Pour or brush the remaining glaze over the surface of the cake. Cool completely. Serve.