Caramel Apple Cake

Fall cake with fresh apples infused with warm spices and covered with rich salted caramel glaze.

This caramel apple cake is irresistible and yet so easy to make. I love the simple blend of cinnamon and nutmeg, tart caramelized apples, sweet and salty caramel topping, and its soft, bouncy texture. It just melts in my mouth!

Abundant apple season? Here I come to the rescue. As this cake is easy to freeze too, you can enjoy the flavors long after the season is gone. When we had our apple orchard back in Idaho this cake was a favorite.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Absolutely delicious Thanksgiving dessert without pumpkin or turkey designs (in case you’re done seeing them everywhere). Plus, the cake easily feeds 12 to 15 people.
• Breezy and short prep time and then you simply wait for the oven to do the baking part.
• Homemade cake, everything from scratch. No cutting corners with boxed mix (nothing wrong with cake mixes, I use them in so many recipes, but there is a certain charm to a home-baked cake served with homemade whipped cream.

Ingredients Notes

The full list of ingredients and measurements is on the recipe card below.

Cake

• All-purpose flour or gluten-free flour with leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda).
• Warm Fall spices: ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. You can also use cloves
• Granulated sugar + brown sugar. White sugar adds sweetness and crispiness to the edges of the cake and the brown sugar enhances the caramel taste.
• Unsalted butter, softened
• Large eggs
• Pure vanilla extract. If you are over vanilla you can use almond extract too.
• Milk is a standard ingredient to keep cakes moist, but if you want extra soft cake crumbs, use sour cream, buttermilk, heavy cream, or Greek Yogurt in addition to or instead of milk.
• Apples – peeled and diced. Granny Smith Apples or Honeycrisp Apples work well but you can always use both sweet and tart apples in one cake. Peel, chop, and soak in a large bowl with salted water or drizzle with lemon juice to make sure they stay fresh.

Salted Caramel Glaze

• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar, light or dark.
• Heavy cream, not much we just need like a quarter of a cup.
• Vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt. You can use sea salt for a nice pronounced saltiness. Healthier too.

Kitchen Equipment

• Large mixing bowl or the large bowl of a stand mixer 
• 9×13-inch baking pan greased and lined with parchment paper
• Small to medium saucepan
• Aluminum foil
• Offset spatula

How To Make Caramel Apple Cake

1: Make The Cake Batter

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 
2. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan.
3. Combine the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
4. Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter in a mixer bowl. Beat well until light and fluffy. 
5. Add wet ingredients: Mix in the eggs and vanilla, starting slowly, and then increase the speed for 30 seconds to fully incorporate. 
6. Slowly stir in half of the flour mixture along with the milk. Mix until combined and then add the remaining flour mixture and milk until a smooth batter has formed.
7. Fold in the apples.

2: Bake The Apple Cake

1. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
2. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center returns clean or use a cake tester.
3. Cool the cake on a wire rack in the pan. To trap the moisture you can cover the cake with foil and a kitchen towel for cooling. It may then take a couple of hours.

3: Make The Caramel Glaze

1. While the cake is cooling, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Whisk in the brown sugar and heavy cream. Bring caramel sauce to a boil and hold at a boil for 2 minutes – stirring constantly. 
3. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla and salt.
4. Pour the warm glaze over the cooled cake. Spread it evenly over the top and let set before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream.

Storage

Store cooled caramel apple cake in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Without the glaze, the apple cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 days.

You can also freeze individual slices wrapped in one layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil for 2-3 months. Reheat in a microwave or thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours.

If making ahead only glaze right before serving as the heavy rich glaze makes a cake soggy sometimes.

Substitutions & Variations

• Chocolate. Apart from caramel glaze you can also make chocolate glaze and use both for decoration. You can also mix in some chocolate chips in the cake batter.
• Frosting. You can add proper buttercream or cream cheese frosting and caramel drizzle on top. Glazed apple chunks on top cooked with some brown sugar and butter are oh-so worth a little extra effort.
• Using cake mix. Classic vanilla, yellow, or spice cake mixes work the best.
• Chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts are perfect fall-themed toppings for the caramel apple cake. Nuts work amazingly in the cake batter as well.
• Caramel glaze can also be made with store-bought caramel sauce, milk, butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.
• Caramel apple upside-down cake. You will layer the sliced apples first in the baking dish coated with some melted butter and brown sugar mixture, then the cake batter. And once it is baked you will flip it upside down. Simple yet always a show-stopper at a family gathering. Note that it will take longer to bake.
• Classic layered cake. Come up with a filling (peanut butter, apple pie filling, berries, etc) and turn it into a multi-layer cake! Would be great for a birthday.
• You can also add pears and make it a caramel apple pear cake.

Expert Tips To Make The Best Caramel Apple Cake

• A bit of vegetable oil keeps the cakes moist and soft.
• Do not use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix the dry ingredients. A whisk works best as it helps us combine the powdered ingredients better.
• Do not overmix the batter or the cake will be too dense. I often prefer mixing by hand to using electric mixers. If using a stand mixer, stick to low speed and only use high when indicated.

Tap the pan after you pour in the batter to remove all air bubbles.

DON’T MISS THESE HOLIDAY E-BOOKS!

If you love this fall cake recipe, you’re going to love these other fall desserts too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Caramel Apple Recipes

Caramel Apple Pretzel Bites

Apple Cobbler Cake

Homemade Caramel Apples

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

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