Warm Caramel Apple Cake and Pumpkin Bars

It's fall! This warm caramel apple cake is a delicious tribute to the season, and it seems to be especially appreciated by men, even those who don't typically enjoy cake. The pumpkin bars are a perfect balance of sugar and spice and are wonderfully accompanied by warm apple cider or an apple toddy [Ingredients: 2 ounces Tuaca, hot apple cider, whipped cream, cinnamon stick for garnish. Directions: Pour the Tuaca in an Irish coffee glass; fill with hot apple cider; top with whipped cream; garnish with a cinnamon stick.]

Warm Caramel Apple Cake

Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 2 1/3 cups)
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

Topping Ingredients:
2/3 cup fluffy white frosting
1/2 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping
Caramel topping (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, cook butter, whipping cream and brown sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour into 13x9-inch pan. Sprinkle with pecans; top with sliced apples. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and apple pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Carefully spoon batter over apple mixture. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cake from pan. Place heatproof serving platter upside down on pan; carefully turn platter and pan over. Let pan remain over cake about 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over cake. Remove pan. In small bowl, mix frosting and whipped topping. Serve warm cake topped with frosting mixture and drizzled with caramel topping.


Pumpkin Bars

Bar Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts

Topping Ingredients:
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. In a large bowl, cream together 3/4 cup butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the pumpkin. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; stir into the pumpkin mixture. Mix in walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1/3 cup butter, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually blend in sugar, then beat until smooth. Spread over cooled pumpkin bars. Cut into squares.