I’m madly in love with this caramel apple cake! Don’t judge. It could be worse.
You don’t stand a chance against its wily charms with fresh apples, caramel sauce baked right into the batter, cinnamon cream cheese frosting and yet more gooey caramel gracing the top.
You may find yourself gazing longingly at it with adoring eyes, lashes fluttering and heart beating faster. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Like a true caramel apple, the cake is moist and sticky sweet on the inside with a subtle apple flavor that is insanely delicious. I’m convinced apples and caramel, so magnificent a pair, were made for each other. The cinnamon-drenched cream cheese frosting cuts right through the cloying sweetness with its tangy flavor giving it the balance it needs.
Warmly spiced and comforting, each and every bite screams out loud of autumn! I’m already dreaming of next year when I can bake it all over again to celebrate apple harvest.
It begs to become a part of my yearly baking tradition. And yours.
You don't stand a chance against its wily charms with fresh apples, caramel sauce baked right into the batter, cinnamon cream cheese frosting and yet more gooey caramel gracing the top.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl whisk flour baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. In a separate large bowl, beat sugar and oil together until combined. Add caramel and vanilla, beat for 30 seconds, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in shredded apples, draining off any juice that may have accumulated first. Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk, beat until well combined.
- Divide batter evenly among the prepared cake pans and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool on wire racks 10-15 minutes, turn out onto wire racks and cool completely before frosting with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
- In a large bowl beat cream cheese and butter together on low speed until fluffy. Beat in cinnamon and vanilla extract. Beat in confectioners’ sugar a cup at a time, on low speed, continue beating about 5 minutes until light and fluffy, adding more sugar if needed to reach a good spreading consistency.
Notes
-The original recipe calls for 2 (9-inch) cake pans but after filling two 8-inch cake pans I had a lot of batter left over, enough to make 2 additional 6-inch layers. You can easily make a three layer 8-inch cake or do what I did and make a big cake and a baby cake.
-Be aware the batter is thinner than most cakes, kind of like soup.
-When beating in the caramel it may seem as if it is seizing up but just forge ahead and all will be fine in the end.
just come across this recipe , looks amazing, i would like to know would it be possible to make cupcakes from it ?
Hi Lucy! You can make this into cupcakes! Cook until a toothpick comes out clean from the center probably about 18 – 22 minutes.
aww brilliant, thanks for your reply, look forward to making it now :)
This was AWESOME. I made it as a 9×13 and added five minutes to the cooking time. Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks Elaine!
I wanted a new recipe for my freshly picked apples and my son loves cream cheese icing so I chose this recipe because your description had me sold…and I had all the ingredients! It is so delicious, moist and has a great melt in your mouth texture. My son particularly loved the cinnamon flavoured cream cheese icing and my husband insisted this recipe was a keeper.
Thanks Ruth! I’m happy to hear it was a hit! Thanks for making it and have a great day!
This is tempting me but you warned me. What good is a warning when one faces caramel and apples? This has to be made soon.