Apple Pound Cake with Caramelized Mixed Fruit

By Nancy Caivano

Apple Pound Cake
with Caramelized Mixed Fruit

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups olive oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla
2 cups peeled, cored and
chopped Granny Smith apple
1 cup chopped and toasted almonds

Cake topping:
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

For fruit:
1 cup water
4 apple tea bags
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 lb cored and sliced Granny Smith apples
1 lb cored and sliced pears
1/2 cup dried apricots, halved
1/2 cup dried sour cherries
1/4 cup diced crystallized ginger
1 cup apple cider
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 tbsp amaretto liqueur

Method:
Spray a 10 x 4-bundt pan or angel food pan well with cooking spray. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

To make cake:
Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl at medium speed, beat together oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Fold in apples and almonds. Pour mixture into prepared cake pan. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Loosen cake from pan, and invert onto a cake plate.

To make cake topping:
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine cake topping ingredients, and bring to a boil. Boil slowly for 2 minutes. Spoon mixture over cake, and cool completely.

To prepare fruit:
Bring water to boil. Steep tea 10 minutes, then strain tea.

Place sugar in a heavy, large skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until sugar starts to melt, shaking pan occasionally. Stir until sugar melts completely and caramelizes to a deep amber syrup. Add apples and pears; syrup will harden. Increase heat to medium. Cook until caramel melts, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add apricots, cherries and ginger. Simmer 5 more minutes. Add apple cider and lemon juice, cinnamon stick and tea. Simmer until fruit is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard cinnamon stick and stir in amaretto.

Serve cake warm, with hot fruit. You can also add ice cream or whipped cream if you like.