Caramel Apple Spice Cake
Caramel Apple Spice Cake is a fall layer cake made with brown sugar, applesauce, spices, chunks of fresh apples, caramel sauce and maple buttercream frosting.
Servings: 12 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Spice Cake
- 250 grams all purpose flour 10-11% protein
- 96 grams almond meal flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 147 grams dark brown sugar
- 67 grams granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 180 grams sunflower oil
- 240 grams unsweetened apple sauce
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 210 grams granny smith or honeycrisp apples (2 large apples) cored, peeled and diced
Caramel Sauce
- homemade caramel sauce *or store bought
Maple Buttercream Frosting
- 1 batch maple buttercream frosting
Instructions
Cake Batter
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper so nothing sticks. (Use either baking spray or butter and flour)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all those cozy spices. Set it aside.250 grams all purpose flour, 96 grams almond meal flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and eggs until combined and a little fluffy. Mix in the oil, then the applesauce and vanilla to make a smooth consistency.147 grams dark brown sugar, 4 large eggs, 180 grams sunflower oil, 240 grams unsweetened apple sauce, 1.5 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, 67 grams granulated sugar
- Turn your mixer to low and add half of the flour mixture. Mix, scrape down the bowl, then add the rest. You’ll end up with a thick, spiced batter.
- Fold in the diced apples chunks with a silicone spatula to evenly distribute.210 grams granny smith or honeycrisp apples (2 large apples)
- Divide the batter between your pans, smooth the tops, and pop them on the middle rack. Bake for 30–35 minutes, but start checking at 28 just in case, look for a toothpick that comes out with only a few crumbs (no wet batter).
- Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 15 minutes, then flip them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once they’re cool, wrap them up and refrigerate for at least an hour, this makes trimming and frosting way easier. Optional of course, but the room temperature cake will leave crumbs in the frosting.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Follow recipe instructions for the maple buttercream frosting and transfer to a piping bag.
Assemble Cake
- Unwrap your chilled cake layers and peel off the parchment. Trim the tops with a serrated knife if they domed a bit, you want flat, even layers. Place the first cake layer on your stand or plate with the cut side up.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top, then pipe a thick ring of frosting around the edge to make a little “frosting wall.” Spoon caramel into the center (don’t go crazy here, just enough to cover the middle).1 batch maple buttercream frosting, homemade caramel sauce
- Top with the second cake layer, then give the whole cake a thin coat of frosting (this is your crumb coat). Chill for 10 minutes to set.
- Now, frost the cake generously and smooth it with an offset spatula or bench scraper. Pipe a border around the top, fill the center with more caramel, and if you’re feeling fancy, dust with cinnamon and add sliced figs or another fruit garnish.
Video
Notes
Storage:
- Room Temperature: If your kitchen is cool, the frosted cake will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temp for about a day.
- Refrigerator: For longer storage, keep the cake in the fridge, in an airtight container or cake dome. It’ll stay fresh for 3–4 days. Let slices come to room temp before serving so the frosting softens back up.