Apple Caramel Cake (with Whole Apples)

Caramel and apples:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C.
2. Make the caramel: Place the sugar in the enamel pot. Shake the pot to spread the sugar evenly and place it on the hob.Don't stir until the sugar starts to caramelize at the bottom, then begin stirring slowly with a wooden spoon until the sugar caramelizes entirely and has a deep brown, nice color. Don't let it get too dark, or it will taste burnt.½ cup granulated sugar/ 100 g
3. Spread caramel in the pot: Hold the pot's handles and turn the pot around very carefully to spread the caramel all over the place, including the pot's walls, about halfway up the walls.Please be very careful; the caramel is very hot!
4. Set aside until the caramel hardens and starts getting some cracks. In the meantime, prepare the apples.
5. Prepare apples: You will need 7 to 9 apples, depending on their size. They should fit in the pot comfortably. Peel the apples and remove the core (with an apple corer), leaving the apple whole. Turn the apples in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning.7-9 apples + juice of ½ lemon
6. Mix the jam, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon.3 tablespoons plum jam + ¼ cup walnuts/ 30 g + ¼ cup raisins/ 30 g + ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
7. Fill the holes in the apples with this mixture, push the mixture down the hole with your finger. Place the filled apples in the prepared pot.
8. Bake the apples for about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on their size. Pierce them with a fork after this time; they should be almost done, but not too soft yet.

Batter:

1. Eggs: Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Add 3 tablespoons of the sugar little by little and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.6 eggs, separated + a pinch of salt + 3 tablespoon sugar
2. Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar until pale and fluffy. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and sieve the flour on top. Fold in carefully.3 tablespoon sugar + 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3. Bake: Pour the batter over the apples and continue baking for about 25 minutes or until the batter is golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Immediately release the cake from the walls of the pan with the help of a knife.
4. Invert the cake: Place a large platter over the pan and invert the cake onto the platter.

Caramel walnut sauce:

1. Caramel: Place the sugar in a pan. Shake to spread evenly and let stand until it starts to caramelize at the bottom. Caramelize completely while stirring gently until the nice brown color is reached.¾ cup granulated sugar/ 150 g
2. Add the cubed butter and stir to combine.1 stick unsalted butter/ 115 g
3. Simmer: Slowly add the water and continue stirring until the mixture boils. Let simmer on low heat for a few minutes, while stirring all the time until all the sugar clumps are dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly.¼ cup water/ 50 ml
4. Add the walnuts, coat them with the caramel, and top the cake with this mixture. Let the extra caramel sauce ooze around the cake.¾ cup walnuts/ 100 g
5. Cool: Let stand until the cake is lukewarm and serve with vanilla ice cream or let cool completely and serve with unsweetened whipped cream.