Recipe adapted from Southern Living magazine by Catherine Lamb for kimsunee.com.  This Apple Cake recipe goes with Brown Butter Frosting or Cream Cheese Frosting and Catherine's story on Comfort Pie.

"Pecans are a huge part of Southern desserts, and they’re a match made in heaven with just-picked honeycrisp apples. This cake is dense and beautiful, made even more indulgent by the frosting.  I went with the brown butter variety, but cream cheese would be even more classic." --Catherine Lamb for kimsunee.com

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
   
2. Toast pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan, stirring halfway through, for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant.  If you burn them, start over.
   
3. Stir together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl; set aside. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl; add to butter mixture, stirring until blended.  Stir in apples and 1 cup pecans.  The batter will be very thick, almost like a cookie dough, but don’t worry.
4. Spread batter into a lightly greased 13-x-9-inch pan.  Bake  for 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 30 minutes).  Spread your choice of frosting over top of cake; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup pecans.