Caramel Apple Delight Cake

I have these friends whom I claim as my children.  I love to cook for them.  They love it when I cook for them!  It's a win-win, see?  I've made this cake a couple of times and each time it gets better and better!  Is that even possible?

Caramel apple cake with vanilla ice cream, yes please.

Look at this beauty!  Fall has come and gone and apples are still plentiful!  Bring back a bit of that warmer weather and the beautiful foliage and indulge in a bite or two of this little masterpiece!

Caramel apple cake

This cake is so easy that I'm almost afraid to share it.  It starts with a boxed mix  or your favorite yellow cake mix recipe and couldn't be easier to make!

Simple ingredients...minus the few I always forget when taking pics!

Preheat your oven to 350 F, and get ready for a walk down Delicious Lane!

1 Butter Gold cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1/2 cup apple cider
7 Tbs. butter, melted and divided
3 eggs
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon (I prefer the Pampered Chef brand)
1/2-3/4 jar of caramel ice cream topping
4 small to medium apples, peeled, cored, sliced
2 Tbs. butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped

Using a 10" spring-form pan, spray it liberally with baking spray and line it with parchment paper. You'll thank me later.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, apple cider, melted butter and eggs. Beat on medium high for about 4 minutes, until fully mixed.  Transfer to the coated spring-form pan.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and butter (2 Tbs) until crumbly and drop in chunks across the cake batter.

Next, arrange apple slices over top, in a circular motion (if you prefer, it really doesn't matter).  Shake cinnamon powder over the apples and drizzle at least half of the jar of caramel ice cream topping over the top.  Last but not least, sprinkle unsalted peanuts over the caramel topping.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the top of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool (if you can wait that long), remove sides of  the spring-form pan and serve.  

Serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream or...do you see where this is going?