Mocha Apple Cake w/ Browned Butter Frosting

Just in time for Fall! The cake that is, I'm a little late. This is my absolute, most favorite time of year and this is my first post of the season. I'm incredulous as to why really. I guess I've just been lazy, soaking up the cool air and watching the leaves change. But I woke up the other morning in a frenzy. I had to bake something and a mocha apple cake seemed like just the thing.
I found this recipe in the August issue of Southern Living Magazine. Interesting combo I thought. Mocha. Apple. Hmmm. I like chocolate covered apples so I figured it couldn't be that bad. And it's seasonally appropriate. So I gathered up my gadgets and got to baking!

Unfortunately, it turned out horrible. It looked good from the outside and it smelled divine. But... Then I cut into it. It was so dry. The Sahara looked more moist than this cake did. I don't know why. I don't think I over baked it. But I can't be for certain. It definitely needed more apples and I should have added the pecans. But I don't know how I could have gotten them in there, the batter was so thick. It was almost like bread dough.

Sad to say this was a bust. I did take one small cake to work and everyone ate it. One guy said it was the best dry cake he ever had. Well there's always that.
Maybe I'll try it again one day. For right now I'm going to keep on baking other fall goodies! This isn't the worst baking I've done. Remember the chocolate cupcakes? Gosh!

Here are just a few things you will need. Yummy right?

I thought so too...

Add them to a large mixing bowl.

Mix away! Until everything is just combined

Don't forget about the dry ingredients!

Put them in a separate mixing bowl. 

Stir them all together.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time. 

Keep adding and mixing.

Peel about 2 large apples.

Dice them up and put them in a bowl. 

You'll need 2 candy bars.

Oops! One went missing!

OK it was 3. But I couldn't help it. It's chocolate!!!

Chop, chop, chop! 

I got a little carried away so that's all of that. 

This is the part where you add the apples and the chocolate to the cake batter and mix it all together.

Then spoon it into the cake pans and bake.

On to the frosting! It turned out great!

Melt 1 stick of butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.

Let it get kind of bubbly. Stir it a little too. Do NOT want it to burn.

It'll get a bit frothy.

Pour it in a bowl and set it in the fridge to chill out a bit.

See the delicious looking outside of the cake?

Cream the butter.

See how it's a light brown?

YUM

Add the powered sugar a cup at a time. 

Add some vanilla.

Use up to a 1/4 cup of milk, as needed for consistency.

It was really good!

It looked pretty...

It just didn't taste so pretty...

I have 2 things to say to anyway who wants to try this out for themselves:

1) Good luck with that.

2) Use just enough hot water to dissolve the instant coffee. 

Otherwise you can taste the granules. Not so tasty.

So for those of you with a hankering to try...

Mocha Apple Cake with Browned Butter Frosting 

(As seen in Southern Living, August 2011)

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples (about 2 lb.)
• 2 (2.6-oz.) milk chocolate candy bars, chopped
• Browned Butter Frosting

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
• 2. Beat sugar and next 4 ingredients at high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer 5 minutes. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients; gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Add apples, chocolate, and pecans; beat just until blended. Spoon into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
• 3. Bake at 350º for 28 to 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour). Spread Browned Butter Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.
• Mocha-Apple Bundt Cake: Omit Browned Butter Frosting. Prepare batter as directed; spoon into a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).