CARAMEL APPLE DAPPLE CAKE

Serves 12 to 15

APPLE DAPPLE CAKES APPEAR IN MANY MIDCENTURY COMMUNITY COOKBOOKS, and they all seem to offer some little interesting riff on the concept of a cake so moist it’s basically damp, baked in a 9 × 13 and packed with enough apple chunks to create a rippled effect on the surface of the cake, all the better to catch puddles of a simple confectioners’ sugar icing. This version with the addition of coffee in the batter and a buttery brown sugar glaze, tempers the sweetness of both the cake and the fruit, and makes it awfully hard to stop at just one square.

CAKE:

Nonstick cooking spray for pan

2½ cups/320 g unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup/113 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup/150 g granulated sugar

¾ cup/170 g firmly packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup/57 g vegetable or canola oil

2 large eggs, cold

¾ cup/170 g lukewarm brewed coffee

4 cups peeled, cored, and chopped Honeycrisp apples (about 3 medium-large apples, cut into ½-inch/1.25 cm pieces)

GLAZE:

¾ cup/170 g firmly packed light brown sugar

4 tablespoons/57 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

¼ cup/57 g whole milk

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Prepare the cake: Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Spray a 9 × 13-inch/23 × 33 cm light-colored metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly stream in the oil until well blended. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. On low speed, spoon in half of the flour mixture. Slowly pour in the coffee. Stir in the remaining flour until the batter is smooth. Fold in the apples by hand. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth evenly. Bake until the cake is deeply golden all over, begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan, set on a wire rack.

Prepare the glaze: In a 1- to 1½-quart/1 to 1.4 L saucepan over high heat, combine the brown sugar, butter, milk, and salt. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring often, and boil until you can see it has thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes depending on your pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla. Let the glaze cool just until it stops bubbling. Pour the hot glaze over the still-warm cake. Working quickly, use a spatula to spread the glaze so it thinly and evenly covers the entire surface of the cake. Let the cake cool completely, uncovered, on the rack. Store any leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.