You need to try my caramel apple cake recipe this apple season. With cozy spices, lots of fresh apples, and an enticing combination of buttercream and caramel sauce artfully dripped down the sides, this cake is simply marvelous. It’s easy enough for a weekend gathering but elegant for serving as a dinner party or Thanksgiving dessert.
Be sure to use baking apples for this recipe, like Granny Smith apples or Honeycrisp apples. They hold up well in the oven, while other kinds can become watery, mealy, or mushy and add a strong apple flavor to the cake. For more apple desserts, try my French apple cake, apple pandowdy, or apple Bundt cake.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Flour — no need for any special flour here. All-purpose flour holds up well to the moisture in the apples to produce tender but sturdy cake layers.
Leavening — baking powder and baking soda help the cake rise and become fluffy.
Spices — warm spices like ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg add cozy flavor to the caramel apple cake recipe, both in the cake layers and frosting. I recommend grating fresh nutmeg for the best flavor!
Sugar — you need granulated sugar and light brown sugar to add sweetness and moisture to the cake batter.
Oil — vegetable oil adds moisture and yields a wonderful soft crumb. Because of all of the fresh apples, this cake needs to stay refrigerated so a liquid oil keeps the layers tender even when cold.
Eggs — eggs help to bind the batter, provide the cake layers with structure, and help them rise.
Vanilla — use high-quality vanilla extract, not synthetically flavored vanilla essence.
Fresh apples — be sure to peel, core, and chop the apples into small pieces. Use your favorite baking apples!
Caramel topping — this easy caramel sauce is made with light brown sugar, unsalted butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt for a decadent salted caramel topping.
Frosting — you’ll combine unsalted butter, cinnamon, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract to make the luscious frosting.
How To Make Caramel Apple Cake
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. To a separate medium bowl, add the white sugar and brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
3. Whisk until well combined.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until almost combined. Add the chopped apples and stir until they are well distributed and all of the flour has been mixed in. You will have a very thick batter.
5. Grease three 6-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Divide the cake batter evenly among each prepared cake pan and spread into an even layer. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
6. To make the caramel glaze, combine the brown sugar, cream, and butter in a medium saucepan and place it over medium heat.
7. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute or until the caramel reaches 230°F. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt. Let the sauce cool completely.
8. Next, work on the frosting. Combine the butter and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl (if using an electric mixer) or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, alternating with a small pour of the cream, until both are fully incorporated. Stop and scrape down the bowl from time to time. Add the vanilla extract and increase the speed to medium. Beat until fluffy.
9. Place 1 cooled cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread ½ cup of frosting over the top and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of caramel. Place another cake layer on top and repeat with the frosting and caramel. Place the last layer on top and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Chill for 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set.
10. Spread the caramel on top of the cake, pushing it to the sides for a caramel drip, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to set the caramel before serving.
Frosting and Decorating Tips
- Don’t put too much caramel between the cake layers. It can make the layers too soft, which makes getting a clean slice difficult. One tablespoon adds just the right amount of flavor!
- For a rustic appearance on the outside of the cake, scrape off excess frosting using an offset spatula. You will have about a cup of leftover frosting if you do this, so you can freeze it for another use or pipe a decorative border at the bottom or top of the cake.
- Chill the cake after frosting it before adding the caramel drip. This will give the frosting a chance to set and will help set the caramel sauce so it doesn’t all pout off the cake.
Can I Bake This In 8-Inch Cake Pans?
Yes! For an 8-inch cake, divide the batter among two greased and parchment-lined 8-inch cake pans. Bake the cake layers for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Double the frosting recipe for a thicker coating, if desired. Or, for a naked cake look, follow the frosting recipe as written.
How to Store
Caramel apple cake will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the whole cake or slices of the cake for up to 1 month. Tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil before freezing.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Weigh the flour: Using a kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure flour. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour up in its container, spoon it into a measuring cup, and level off the top with a knife.
- Make a level cake by following my tricks for how to bake flat cake layers.
- Don’t over-mix the batter, or you’ll end up with a tough cake caused by gluten overdevelopment.
- Add more spices to the cake. You can add up to ½ teaspoon each of ground ginger, ground allspice, and ground cardamom to the cake layers.
- Use browned butter for the frosting. Follow my guidelines for how to brown butter and cool it until softened. Beat it with the powdered sugar according to the recipe.
- Add caramel to the frosting. If desired, you can beat in 3 tablespoons of caramel sauce for extra caramel flavor.
- Leftover caramel sauce ideas: Use it to serve with each slice of cake, drizzle it over vanilla ice cream, or stir it into coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, I recommend lining the greased pans with parchment paper so the cake layers are easy to remove.
Opt for a baking apple that you also enjoy the flavor of when eating fresh but that will also hold up well in the oven. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji apples all work well.
Yes! I do recommend using homemade caramel for this recipe, as store-bought sauce can be unpredictable in terms of sweetness and viscosity, and my recipe is super easy. However, if you use a store-bought sauce, choose one that is thicker so it doesn’t completely run off the sides of the cake.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this caramel apple cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Caramel Apple Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 6” round cake pans
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (110g)
- 1 cup vegetable oil (240ml)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups chopped apples (about 3 small apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces/400g chopped)
For the Caramel Topping:
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (110g)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup heavy cream (120ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Frosting:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened (170g)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pound powdered sugar (450g)
- ⅓ cup heavy cream (80ml)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 6-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until almost combined. Add the apples and stir until they are well distributed and all of the flour has been mixed in. (The batter will be thick.) Divide the cake batter among the prepared pans and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them and cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Caramel Topping:
- Combine the brown sugar, cream, and butter in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil until the caramel reaches 230°F, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt. Let the sauce cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- Combine the butter and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl if using an electric hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, alternative with a small pour of the cream, until both are fully incorporated. Stop and scrape down the bowl occasionally.
- Add the vanilla and increase the speed to medium. Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
For the Assembly:
- Place a cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread ½ cup of frosting over the top of the layer and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of caramel. Place another cake layer on top and repeat with the frosting and caramel. Place the last layer on top and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Chill for 30 minutes to set the frosting.
- Spread the caramel on top of the cake, pushing it to the sides to drip off, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to set the caramel before serving. Store the cake covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Weigh the flour: Using a kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure flour. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour up in its container, spoon it into a measuring cup, and level off the top with a knife.
- Make a level cake by following my tricks for how to bake flat cake layers.
- Don’t over-mix the batter, or you’ll end up with a tough cake caused by gluten overdevelopment.
- Add more spices to the cake. You can add up to ½ teaspoon each of ground ginger, ground allspice, and ground cardamom to the cake layers.
- Use browned butter for the frosting. Follow my guidelines for how to brown butter and cool it until softened. Beat it with the powdered sugar according to the recipe.
- Add caramel to the frosting. If desired, you can beat in 3 tablespoons of caramel sauce for extra caramel flavor.
- Leftover caramel sauce ideas: Use it to serve with each slice of cake, drizzle it over vanilla ice cream, or stir it into coffee.
