1 1/2 teaspoons ground apple or pumpkin pie spice blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
4 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
Finely grated zest from 1 orange
Juice 1 orange (about 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan.
2. For cake: Whisk flour, 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. Toss apples with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pie spice and set aside.
4. Whisk eggs and oil together in a large bowl. Whisk in sour cream, orange zest and juice, and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined but slightly lumpy.
5. Using a slotted spoon, scatter about 1/2 cup apples in bottom Bundt pan. Place about 1/3 batter on top. Repeat, alternating remaining apples and batter, ending with batter.
6. Bake cake until a skewer inserted into center cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; invert onto a rack placed over a baking sheet. Cool.
7. For caramel: Stir sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, swirling pan but not stirring, until sugar is a dark amber-colored caramel, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; carefully pour in cream. Stir in pecans, vanilla, and salt. Cool until caramel becomes thick and syrupy; pour over cake; cool until set.