Apple Butter Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting

Active:
20 mins
Cool:
2 hrs
Total:
3 hrs 45 mins
Yield:
Serves 12


Ingredients

1 cup Slow-Cooker Apple Butter
¼ cup finely chopped, toasted pecans
Vegetable shortening
1 ½ cups butter, softened
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup butter
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup dried apple chips (optional)

Directions

Step 1
Stir together Slow-Cooker Apple Butter and pecans in a small bowl; set aside. Grease (with vegetable shortening) and flour a 14-cup Bundt pan; set aside.

Step 2
Preheat oven to 325°F. Beat softened butter and cream cheese in bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Step 3
Reduce speed to low, and gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape down bowl as needed. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the vanilla.

Step 4
Stir ¼ cup batter into apple butter mixture. Pour half of the remaining batter into prepared Bundt pan. Using a small offset spatula or knife, make about a ¾-inch-wide x ¾-inch-deep trench (or channel) in center of batter around pan. Spoon apple butter mixture into trench. Top with remaining cake batter.

Step 5
Bake in preheated oven until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (1 hour, 20 minutes to 1 hour, 35 minutes). Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes and remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours.

Step 6
While cake cools, bring brown sugar, ¼ cup butter, and milk to a boil in a small saucepan over medium, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth and whisk gently until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately spoon over cooled cake, top with apple chips, if desired.