Toffee apple & pecan cake

• unsalted butter↗175g g

  softened, plus extra for greasing

• 200g Carnation caramel g
• light muscovado sugar↗50g g
• large eggs↗3

  at room temperature

• plain flour↗175g g
• baking powder↗1 tsp tsp
• vanilla extract↗1 tsp tsp
• tangy eating apple1

  peeled, half chopped, half thinly sliced

• pecan↗50g g

  half finely chopped, half roughly broken

• icing sugar↗50g g
• unsalted butter↗25g g

  just softened but not greasy

• 2 tbsp Carnation caramel tbsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with a strip of parchment. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Using electric hand beaters, beat the caramel, sugar and butter until smooth and even. Add the eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla, then beat again until even. Fold in the chopped apples and chopped pecans.

2. 2

   Spoon into the loaf tin, then poke the sliced apples into the batter and scatter it with the broken pecans. Bake for 30 mins, then cover the top loosely with foil and return to the oven for 30 mins more, until risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

3. 3

   For the frosting, cream the icing sugar and butter together with electric beaters until pale, then beat in 1 tbsp caramel. Split the cake into 2 and sandwich with the frosting. To finish, warm the remaining caramel with 1 tsp water until runny, then drizzle over the cake.