Apple Cider + Salted Caramel Cake with an Apple Pie Filling
Exactly one month ago I qualified for the Boston marathon. I ran the Long Beach Marathon, my 4th marathon, on October 15th, and all of my dreams came true when I crossed that finish line with a time of 3:24. Honestly one of my greatest accomplishments. The last few weeks of training we’re nerve wracking. My time got fast enough to be on the cusp of making the cut-off for my age group, and I got so hopeful that I’d be able to pull it off. My prediction leading up to it was that I’d maybe just miss the mark, and end just a couple minutes above my 3:30 goal. I knew I’d beat my previous 3:39 time, but if I could do it by 10 minutes was the question. So I prepared myself for the worst case scenario of narrowly missing it, and just tried to stay focused on staying proud of myself for finishing.
The morning of the whole thing, I got going and (very typical me) was pretty nervous and couldn’t stop running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. I don’t event know what kept me calm to actually start the race, or if I even was, but we did finally get going and I was off. I had so much fun running around an area that is so familiar to me - taking in all the familiar sites and even enjoying the short stretch of the freeway that was shut down for us (again - familiar territory just makes it all fun). Also - it was flat, and after running around our neighborhood, flat is quite the treat. In my first hour, I had crossed the 8 mile mark, and I got excited. That hope for making this whole thing happen got even stronger.
So I kept running, spending the second hour on a path that runs along the beach. It’s one of my favorite places to sneak off to when we’re home visiting my parents and in need for a little run break. It’s pretty + peaceful + and just really picturesque. And it makes running fast really fun. So I kept running fast, and it still felt fun even in hour 2. Caught a glimpse of my 2nd cousin handing out water at mile 10 (shout out cousin John!) and just kept going.
During the last half of the run, there were a couple short stretches of out + back bits where I caught a glimpse of Jordan, and were able to give high-5s and throw up big thumbs up. And it just kept feeling great. And then I hit mile 22. It’s all fun + games up until that point - every time. That’s when it got real. The miles felt tougher, the legs didn’t feel as spry, and I was hurting a little bit. But I kept my eye on the clock. My buffer time was still strong and I felt so good about hitting my 3:30 goal. It kept me going + kept me running as fast as I could. I got to my last mile, and I knew I had it. I was just about too tired to feel any emotion, but I was nothing short of so happy.
Leading up to the marathon, my game-plan was to gun it that last mile. Just a fast sprint to the finish and shave off a few seconds, and instead I just held on. I was simply out of gas, and my legs didn’t have one fast push. But they kept moving, and I did find some strength the final 0.2 miles to get things moving. I crossed the finish line before it ticked over to 3hr 25min, and I’d beat my finishing goal by over 5 minutes. It was one of those moments where I thought I’d be so overwhelmed with the urge to cry happy tears, but honestly I was too exhausted to feel anything. Too focused on catching my breath to really do anything else but try and chill.
The moment I’ll probably never forget came right after the race wrapped up, and a nice guy came up to me and congratulated me. He said he’d been running slightly behind me almost all race, and was using me as his pacer. He asked me if I got my “BQ” - the first time I’d ever heard anyone use that lingo. Long story short he was so sweet, and so excited for me. A very welcome interaction while I waited to re-connect with Jordan. He then dropped the bomb on me that he missed his own BQ by 45 seconds because he took a walking break, and I simultaneously just felt so grateful that was not my story (missing my goal time by such a short window was honestly my fear) & also just felt so bad for this guy.
I am so thrilled to have made the time cut-off, and thrilled to now have the chance to apply to run Boston. I didn’t get to celebrate with cake post race, so I made a belated cake I’d had my eye on - this Apple Cider + Salted Caramel Cake with an Apple Pie Filling. Damn was it good + damn did I feel like I earned this treat. Did a little Christmas decorating practice and had a lovely time with this one.
For the cake
1 stick of butter
about 10 full sized graham cracker sheets (I like using a cinnamon sugar graham cracker)
1 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 c. applesauce
1 c. hard apple cider (naturally I use Incline - Imperial Hazy Honeycrisp is my go to)
1 tsp vanilla
3 c. flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
For the apple filling
2 tbsp butter
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
For the caramel
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
4 tsp corn syrup
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sat
For the frosting (basic recipe is 1 brick of cream cheese + 1 stick of butter + 4 c. powdered sugar)
2-8 ounce bricks of cream cheese, room temperature
1 c. butter, room temperature
8 c. powdered sugar
pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 325. Prep 3 cake trays with flour + line with parchment. If you use 6 inch trays, you’ll have extra for cupcakes (if you want) or you can use an 8 inch tray.
Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Add the melted butter to the food processor and pulse until fully mixed, and it looks like wet sand. Press the mixture into the baking tins, creating a packed, thin layer at the bottom of each tin. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove for the oven and let cool.
Start mixing the cake batter. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the oil + sugar. Add in the eggs and whip for a minute at medium speed. Mix the in applesauce, vanilla, and spices. Add in a cup of the flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low until fully incorporated. Add in half of the cider, and then another cup of flour. Add in the remainder of the cider + the last cup of flour, increasing the speed to medium high and mixing for 1-2 minutes. Mix should be smooth and runny. Separate between the baking tins - filling each tin 50-60% full. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
When the cake has finished baking, the cake cool completely, trim the domed top, and then wrap tightly in saran wrap. Freeze the cakes until you’re ready to assemble.
Make the apple filling. Place the skillet over medium and melt the butter. Add in the apples, juice, sugar, and salt, and continue to cook until the sauce is thick + syrupy, and the apples tender. Bring the mixture to a low simmer, and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally as to not burn. Let the apples cool, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge until it’s time to assemble the cake.
Make the caramel. Heat the sugar, water, and corn syrup over medium heat. Let it heat up and kind of swirl the mixture to keep the sugar from burning. After a minute over medium heat, gently stir just enough for the sugar to dissolve. Keep over medium heat (it should be bubbling) and watch the mixture until it turns a rich amber color. When it turns amber, remove from the heat and slowly stir in the heavy cream - whisking constantly as you pour in the heavy cream in a slow stream. Stir in the vanilla and salt, and let the caramel cool.
Make the frosting. Place the cream cheese + butter in a stand mixer, and mix with the paddle attachment for a minute at medium speed. Add in the powdered sugar 2-3 cups at a time, beating on medium until fully mixed in, and repeating this process until all the powdered sugar has been incorporated. Increase the speed to high and whop on high for 60-90 seconds. The frosting should be light, smooth, and spreadable.
Follow these steps to assemble:
On the base layer, spread a thin layer of frosting over the top + pipe a frosting boarder around the perimeter. Pile on a generous amount of the cooked apples (ideally half), and drizzle some of the salted caramel on top.
Place a second layer on top, and repeat the process in step one. Place the final layer on top.
Proceed to dirty ice the cake and place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Proceed to finish icing and decorating the cake.
*some photos of our round 2 attempt with a little bit of a fun purple color pop & party vibe.
