Nutty Apple Spice Cake with Quick Butterscotch Sauce

It's not necessary to peel the apples in this very moist cake. And the sugar produces a wonderful, crunchy top that's best eaten the day it's made. A glass of milk is a great accompaniment.

Yield
16 servings (serving size: 1 cake piece and 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients
Cake:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
Cooking spray

Sauce:
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup apple juice
1 (12.25-ounce) bottle fat-free butterscotch topping (such as Smucker's)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, beat sugar, oil, and eggs at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until blended. Fold in apple and walnuts.

Pour batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Run a knife around outside edge; cool.

To prepare sauce, combine raisins and rum in a microwave-safe bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in butterscotch topping; microwave on high 45 seconds or until hot. Serve cake with sauce.

Note: Cake will keep for several days in an airtight container, but the crunchy top will soften.