Caramel Apple Pudding Cake

Rich-tasting, fast, and ridiculously easy. I don't remember where I got this recipe originally; there are a couple of similar ones here on the site, but I think the addition of spices and milk in this version makes for a more complex, moister cake. This is a great last-minute dessert; it goes together quickly and can bake in 25 minutes while you're eating dinner. Best served warm with a dollop of ice cream.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 (9 ounce) box  yellow cake mix (I use Jiffy, or you can use half a standard-size cake mix)
• 1  teaspoon apple pie spice (I substitute 1 part each allspice and nutmeg to 2 parts cinnamon)
• 1⁄3 cup milk
• 1  large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups hot water
• 3⁄4 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Whisk together cake mix and spices in a mixing bowl.
3. Blend in milk, making sure that you don't leave any "clumps" of cake mix. Fold in chopped apple.
4. Spread batter in greased 9" square pan.
5. Stir brown sugar into hot water until dissolved. (I heat the water in the microwave in a glass measuring cup, then pour it and the brown sugar into the mixing bowl that I just scraped the batter out of to save washing another pot or bowl.).
6. Pour dissolved mixture carefully over batter in pan. DO NOT STIR.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes, until cake is set and starts to pull away from sides of pan. (The cake will be on top of the hot caramel sauce at the bottom of the pan.).
8. Serve warm, with some of the sauce spooned over each serving. Top with cinnamon or vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.