Sticky Spiked Double-Apple Cake with a Brown-Sugar Brandy Caramel sauce

Step 1

In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the brandy for 45 minutes. Add the dried apples and soak for another 15 minutes. DO NOT DRAIN. Preheat oven to 325F and butter a 9x13 pan. Line the bottom and up the two long sides of the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, letting the paper overhanging the edges of the side an inch or so. Lightly butter the paper. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until nuts are fragrant and hot to touch. Watch closely, they go from toast to burnt in seconds. Slide nuts off sheet to a plate and cool completely. then chop coarsely. Meanwhile, sift together flour, baking soda, salt ,cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together into a bowl, and set aside. In a large bowl with a mixer or whisk blend both sugar. Add lightly beaten eggs, and beat on medium speed until thickened and pale, about 2 minutes with a machine, 4-5 minutes by hand. Add the cooled melted butted and mix to blend. Fold in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just enough to moisten most but not all of the flour. Add dried fruit and brandy mixture, chopped pecans and diced fresh apples, and fold them into batter with long deep strokes. Don't fret about the ratio of fruit to batter---there is a lot of fruit but it bakes into a wonderful chewy cake. Scrape the batter into prepared pan and set the pan in the centre of the oven. Bake the cake the cake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until centre springs back when touched lightly, tester inserted into centre comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool. This cake keeps beautifully, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 5 days, although it is best within two or three. Serve warm or at room temperature with a generous ladle of warm Brown-sugar Brandy Caramel Sauce. (See sauce recipe separately)