Apple Cake with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce

Makes 12 servings.

Cake:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups Golden Delicious apples, peeled, chopped
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Hot Buttered Rum Sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light cream
1 teaspoon rum extract

To prepare oven, pan: Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch cake pan.

To make cake: In large mixing bowl, cream butter. Add sugar. Beat until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, creaming after each addition. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Gradually mix into butter mixture on low speed. Batter will be thick. Fold in chopped apples and add nuts.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until cake pulls slightly away from edge of pan. Cut. Serve with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce.

To make Hot Buttered Rum Sauce: In medium saucepan, heat sugar, butter, cream and rum extract until sugar dissolves.