Salted Butterscotch Apple Whiskey Snacking Cake
This cake is the creation of baker Jocelyn Delk Adams, the blogger behind Grandbaby Cakes and author of the cookbook Everyday Grand, who shares her fresh takes on Southern comfort food. She says that fall is her favorite season. Jocelyn loves the changing leaves, brisk mornings, pies for the holiday season (or just because) and, yes, apple picking, a tradition she adopted from her in-laws. Every year at the onset of autumn, they visit places like the County Line Orchard in Indiana. From music in the barnyard to the kids’ petting zoo her daughter Harmony adored, they all fell in love with the place. Each time, she leaves with plenty of apple cider, apple cinnamon donuts and, duh, apples. But instead of spending all day making pie, she opted for a moist, spiced snacking cake. You’ll have the rest of the season to bake pies, Jocelyn says, so take it easy and have a slice of this cake with your morning coffee—or whenever you need a pick-me-up.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- Nonstick baking spray
- 1 1/2 cups (6 oz./188 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (5 1/2 oz./170 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./105 g) vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) sour cream
- 1/4 cup (2 oz./63 g) applesauce
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 Tbs. whiskey
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large apple (8 oz./250 g), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) dice (about 2 cups)
For the icing:
- 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. hot water
- 2 Tbs. heavy cream, plus more as needed
- 1 Tbs. whiskey
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. (2 oz./62 g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
- Flaky sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon, for serving
Directions:
To make the cake, position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pan with nonstick baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit, then spray the parchment.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, fine sea salt, nutmeg and ginger until combined.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the oil, sour cream, applesauce, eggs, whiskey and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add the oil mixture to the flour mixture and, using a flexible spatula, stir just until a smooth and uniform batter forms. Gently fold in the apples; we don’t wanna overmix.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, make the icing: In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan with tall sides, melt the butter over low to medium-low heat, then cook until the solids turn medium-brown and the butter smells nutty, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the dark brown sugar and hot water and stir to moisten all the sugar. Cook until the brown sugar has liquefied and the mixture is darker and bubbling vigorously, about 5 minutes. During this time, stir the mixture well, scraping the corners of the pan to incorporate any remaining brown sugar.
Stir in the cream; you may wanna step back because the mixture will bubble up. Cook until the mixture turns smooth and glossy, 3 to 4 minutes more, then stir in the whiskey and vanilla and cook until the alcohol cooks off, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the fine sea salt. Taste and season with more fine sea salt, if ya need. Let cool for about 5 minutes; the butterscotch will continue to thicken as it cools. You should have a scant 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) butterscotch.
Whisk the confectioners’ sugar into the cooled butterscotch until fully incorporated. Add more cream, 1 to 2 tsp. at a time, until you reach spreadable consistency. lf it gets too thin, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar.
Using a small offset spatula, spread the icing over the cake, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, then slice and enjoy! Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) round cake (serves 8 to 10).
Adapted from Everyday Grand by Jocelyn Delk Adams (Clarkson Potter 2023)
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