Apples and warm spices are two of autumn’s favorite flavors! September is prime time for apple picking, whether you pluck them from an apple orchard or off the shelf of your favorite market. For this moist cake, choose a firm, tart apple like Granny Smith, Jonagold, Mutsu, Braeburn, Cortland, or juicy Honeycrisps. To make certain the cake releases easily, coat the pan with an oil-based baking spray that contains flour, such as Baker’s Joy. The tube pan bottom can be lined with parchment. The cake’s crowning touch is a luscious butterscotch glaze with a soft, rich flavor that is bumped up to another dimension when a little umami-rich miso is stirred in. This amazing Japanese ingredient adds a deep, savory flavor with a salty-sweet richness to foods.

Apple Spice Cake with Butterscotch-Miso Glaze

1 cup pecan or walnut halves, lightly toasted and chopped
3 to 3½ cups apple pieces, roughly chopped into ½-inch squares (using 4 medium or 3 large apples, peeled and cored)
3 cups soft-wheat, all-purpose flour such as White Lily
1 level teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon mace or nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1¼ cups safflower or canola oil
3 large eggs
¼ cup apple cider, apple juice, or orange juice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 recipe Butterscotch-Miso Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325 F; grease baking pan. Prepare pecans and apples; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and dry spices for 30 seconds; reserve. In a large bowl, whisk together the white and brown sugars, oil, eggs, apple juice, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to the bowl of liquid ingredients. With a spatula, scrape around the sides of the bowl while folding the ingredients together. When nearly blended, mix in nuts and apples. Spread batter evenly into the pan and bake 40 to 50 minutes.

Prepare Butterscotch-Miso Glaze while the cake bakes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick; it will come out clean. The cake’s temperature should register about 200 F. Let the cake cool about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate. With a wooden skewer, make a few holes in the cake’s top; evenly spoon on the glaze. Its flavor and texture will be even better the second day. Cover and refrigerate after 2 days.

Butterscotch-Miso Glaze

Miso (fermented soybean paste) can be purchased in Asian markets and fine food stores throughout South Carolina. An essential ingredient in Japanese cooking, it has a peanut butter-like texture. Here, I use organic shiro (white) miso from Eden Foods. Shiro miso is sweeter and milder due to the shorter fermentation period — perfect for soups, dressings, marinades, and sweet foods. Aka (red) miso and dark, fudgy hatcho miso have saltier, bolder flavors. This addictive glaze is a great dip for sliced apples, pears, and pineapple. For a thicker, frosting-like consistency, beat in about ½ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar.

1 tablespoon shiro miso blended with 1 tablespoon heavy cream
½ cup light brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or Calvados

Blend miso and cream until smooth; set aside. Put brown sugar and butter in a small, deep saucepan over medium-low heat; stir until sugar dissolves. Add remaining cream and simmer the thick, bubbly mixture 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat; whisk in softened miso. Reheat 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Blend in lemon juice and vanilla. Glaze thickens as it cools; spoon over the slightly warm cake. If glaze is made ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container; warm gently before use. Makes about ¾ cup. Recipe can be doubled.