Caramel Apple Cake with White Chocolate Icing

A candy store in where I grew up made caramel apples that were dipped in white chocolate and then sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon.  They were amazing and that is where this idea came from. The DFV family liked it.  The caramel hardened a little more than I was hoping for. The little vegan said it came out like a candy cake and in a seven year old mind that's awesome.  If you didn't want it as candy like I would recommend cooking the caramel to a lower temp, possibly 200 degrees.
Hands down this was the most time consuming cake I have ever made.  The caramel took two hours to make so I would make it ahead of time and then remelt it when it was time to use it.

Cake Batter
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup oil (I use vegetable or canola)
1 cup applesauce
1 cup vanilla almond milk (soy milk may also be used)
3/4 cup vegan butterscotch pudding (follow directions on box-I used almond milk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease three 9" round cake pans.

In a large bowl mix flour, salt baking soda & powder, egg replacer, and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl mix sugar, oil, applesauce, milk and pudding.  Slowly mix sugar mixture into flour mixture and stir until well blended.  Pour batter evenly into the three pans.  Tap bottom of pans to get air bubbles to the top.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.  Cake will pull away from sides when done.  When done let sit for approximately 5 minutes or until cool enough to touch pans with bare hands.  Flip onto cooling rack.

Apple Caramel Layers
1 1/2 lb apples peeled, cored and sliced into 16ths (I recommend granny smiths, fuji or pink ladies)
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cup caramel sauce

In a large pot cook apples with water, cinnamon and sugar over low/medium heat until they just start to become soft.  Try to stop cooking before they begin to fall apart. Remove apples from liquid reserving 1 tablespoon of liquid for icing.
Divide cook apples in three so you have equal amounts for each layer.  Lie apples down on first layer (It will not cover cake completely) and then spread 1/2 cup caramel over the apples. Caramel needs to be warm so that it will spread. Repeat on next two layers so that the apples and caramel are on the top of the cake.

Icing
3/4 cup vegan white chocolate chips
1 tbsp apple broth used from cooked apples
1/2 cup Earth Balance
4 oz vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar

Melt white chocolate with apple broth.  In a mixer combine Earth Balance and cream cheese.  Add melted chocolate.  Slowly mix in powdered sugar.  Ice the sides of cake and around top edge.