By Valentine's Day. Forty-third. I brought Marvin a card and chocolate cake. The card said: "Forty-three years. I am still here. The brisket is still in the oven. The book is almost in the bookstores. You would be so proud, Marv. You would say something funny that I would pretend not to laugh at and then laugh at. You would say, 'That's my Ruthie.' You would eat two pieces of cake. I brought two pieces. Eat them both. Love, Ruth."
He did not read the card. I read it to him. He listened. He ate the cake — both pieces, which I choose to interpret as compliance with the card's instructions, even though the compliance was coincidental and the eating was appetite and the appetite was the body's, not the mind's. But the body is Marvin. The body is the last of Marvin. The body eats the cake and the body receives the love and the body is the bridge between the man I married and the man who sits in the recliner, and the bridge is the body, and the body is still here, and the still-being-here is the forty-third Valentine's Day, and the forty-third is one more than the forty-second, and the one-more is the gift.
I did not make a chocolate cake from scratch this year — my hands are not as steady as they were, and the kitchen feels quieter than it used to. But I did make this caramel apple dump cake the week before, because it is simple and warm and smells like something good is happening, and something good was happening: Marvin ate both pieces. When the body still reaches for sweetness, you bake. That is the whole of it.
Caramel Apple Dump Cake
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
- 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Layer the filling. Spread the apple pie filling evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Drizzle the caramel topping over the apples.
- Add cinnamon. Sprinkle the ground cinnamon evenly over the caramel and apple layer.
- Add the cake mix. Pour the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the top of the fruit layer. Do not stir — spread it level with a spoon if needed.
- Add butter. Lay the thin butter slices in an even layer across the entire surface of the dry cake mix, covering as much area as possible so the top bakes evenly.
- Add nuts. If using, scatter the chopped pecans or walnuts over the butter layer.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 42–48 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the caramel apple filling is bubbling around the edges.
- Cool slightly and serve. Let rest for 10 minutes before scooping. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 320 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 310mg