Caramel Apple Cake

What better dessert for a fall themed Oktoberfest than a caramel apple cake? The three layers of apple cake dressed with caramel butter cream seemed a little intimidating to take on for my novice baking skills, but my mind was set. I made the cake in three nights, starting with the homemade applesauce and caramel.
Wednesday Night: Applesauce and Caramel Sauce
The applesauce was easy and delish! I thought it would be smooth sailing for the night. Then came the caramel sauce... I never made candy or caramel before, but I read the directions and thought I could handle it without a candy thermometer. I watched the sugary mixture on the stove turn a caramel color and pulled it off the stove and mixed the butter and sugar. it smelled great, just like caramel. But it wasn't sticky. I left the soupy mixture in the fridge hoping it would get hard. I did some research online and realized I didn't actually get it to the caramel stage. I waited until the next evening to make the next batch which turned out beautifully. I have since purchased a candy thermometer for future candy making adventures ;)
Thursday Night: 2nd attempt at caramel and cake
After finishing the caramel sauce, I moved on to making the cake.  Make sure you have a large mixing bowl- for the three cakes you'll be making, there's a lot of batter.  Mixing the cake is easy; my KitchenAid did most of the work. Make sure to use parchment paper on the cake pans- the cake does stick easily, and the parchment paper makes it much easier to cleanup.  I waited for my cakes to cooled completely, wrapped the cakes and stacked them in the fridge for Friday's assembly.
Friday Night: Buttercream and cake assembly
To make the buttercream, you start by boiling a flour/milk mixture. Next, make sure the mixture cools completely while it's beating in the stand mixer.  Once it's cool, the butter and vanilla are added. The next step is to "beat until...light and fluffy."  I started to worry after the mixture didn't seem to be changing texture after several minutes of beating.  I increased the speed and continue to beat for another 5 minutes or so, and finally the mixture changed texture to the light and fluffy description.  Next, the caramel is added and an addictive buttercream is created. Amazing!  As I assembled and decorated the cake, I would take a quick break to steal another taste of the frosting. 

The cake was a hit at the party! No leftovers.