Spiced Apple Cherry Cake with Toasted Caramel Pecan Sauce with a Cannabis Twist

Hey, everyone!  

Chef Jenn here, and I’m so excited to share one of my favorite fall dessert recipes, straight from my recent podcast interview on “How to Do the Pot”! This Spiced Apple Cherry Cake with Toasted Caramel Pecan Sauce is perfect for cozying up as the weather cools down. It’s got all those warm spices, the tartness of Granny Smith apples, and sweet pops of dried cherries—topped with a rich caramel pecan sauce that takes it over the top!

Now, if you know me, you know I love giving people the freedom to personalize their dining experience. Rather than infusing an entire dish, I prefer to infuse sauces and serve them on the side. This allows each guest to tailor their dose to their comfort level, ensuring that no one ever has to skip a dish out of concern about overconsumption. It’s all about making cannabis-infused dining both approachable and enjoyable, while keeping everything safe and, of course, delicious!

Let me show you how to make this delicious treat, and I’ll walk you through my cannabis infusion tips along the way.

Spiced Apple Cherry Cake with Toasted Caramel Pecan Sauce

Serves: 12 to 14

Ingredients:

• ½ lb unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ tbsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup pecans, chopped
• ⅓ cup dried cherries

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 13×9-inch cake pan (or a quarter sheet pan). Line with parchment paper for easy removal.
2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes).
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each, and mix in the vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, beating on low until just combined.
6. Fold in the apples, pecans, and cherries.
7. Spread the thick batter into your prepared pan, using a spatula to smooth it out.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool before slicing.

Toasted Caramel Pecan Sauce

Serves: 14 to 16

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ cup pecans
• 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup whipping cream mixed with desired dosage of infused cannabis oil

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the pecans. Stir for 2-3 minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant.
2. Stir in the brown sugar and cook until it begins to melt.
3. Add 1/2 cup cream and cook until the mixture boils, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. 
4. Remove from heat and whisk in 1/2 cup infused cream.
5. Drizzle this rich, nutty sauce over slices of the cake.

Chef Jenn’s Cannabis Infusion Tips:

For cannabis dinners, I like to give my guests control over how much they consume. Instead of infusing the whole cake, I recommend infusing the toasted caramel cream sauce, but there are many ways to infuse this recipe.

 

Other Infusion Options: If you were interested in infusing the cake you could replace some or all of the butter, sugar, or even cannabis-infused flour to the cake batter itself. But for events, I find keeping the infusion in the sauce allows guests more control. This way, everyone gets to enjoy the dessert, and no one has to worry about over-consuming. Plus, let’s be real—who can resist a rich caramel sauce?

This cake is a total hit whether you infuse it or not. So go ahead, try it out, and don’t forget to tag me on social media when you make it! Happy baking and infusing!