Salted caramel sauce recipe makes Caramel Apple Pudding Cake special - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

---

Counter culture

Alysha Witwicki  |  Special to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Salty or sweet? With something like salted caramel sauce, you can have your cake and eat it too … or in this case, your salted caramel sauce and eat it, too.

If you want make it yourself, it requires only sugar, butter, heavy cream, flaky sea salt like fleur de sel, and 10-15 minutes.

You may also get lucky and find a Wisconsin-made sauce locally. I discovered R&R Homestead's salted caramel scotch topping, which is made in Green Bay, at my local Sendik's. But you can also check out specialty foods stores if all the work you want to do means twisting off a cap.

Almost every grocery store should have salted caramel sauce.

Besides its taste, buttery smooth texture and rich caramel color, the beauty of salted caramel sauce lies in its versatility. It'll make any snack more special — from apple slices to pretzels or popcorn. And it'll kick nearly any dessert up a notch.

Use salted caramel sauce as an ice cream topping — an oldie but goodie. Or if you're making homemade ice cream, add some right into the ice cream base before you churn it. It's also a great topping for cheesecake, brownies, pie, cookies or a milkshake.

You can also find recipes online that incorporate salted caramel sauce as more of an ingredient into the main dish — like butterscotch pudding or a caramel tart. Some other ideas include stirring it into your coffee, mixing it with plain or vanilla yogurt or using it as a topping for pancakes and waffles.

And don't forget the old standby … on a spoon.

Counter Culture zeroes in on a single food or ingredient (or sometimes, technique) to help readers broaden their horizons in the kitchen. Alysha Witwicki is a retail copywriter and food writer living in Whitefish Bay. Contact her at alyshawitwicki@hotmail.com.

*****

Salted Caramel Sauce

Properties: Caramel with flaky sea salt added. It also includes sugar, butter and heavy cream.

Flavor: Salty, sweet, nutty, buttery

Uses: As a topping for cheesecake, ice cream or brownies; eat it with apple slices; or stir it into your coffee

Where to get it: Any grocery store

*****

RECIPE

Salted caramel sauce shines in this apple pudding cake from the 14th edition of the "Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook" (2006, Better Homes and Gardens).

Caramel Apple Pudding Cake

Recipe tested by Alysha Witwicki

Makes 12 servings

• 2 cups thinly sliced, peeled tart cooking apples
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup dried cherries
• 1 cup allflour
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup milk
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ¾ cup salted caramel sauce, plus more for garnish
• ¼ cup water
• Vanilla ice cream for serving

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart square baking dish.

Arrange apple slices in bottom of dish; sprinkle with lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Top evenly with dried cherries.

In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Add milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter and the vanilla; mix well. Stir in walnuts.

Spread batter evenly over apple mixture.

In a saucepan combine salted caramel sauce, water and 1 tablespoon butter; bring to boiling while stirring. Pour mixture over batter in baking dish.

Bake about 35 minutes or until set in center. Serve warm. To serve, spoon cake, apples and caramel mixture into dessert bowls. Then top with ice cream.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.