Caramel Apple Cake: tart apples folded into a tender brown sugar cake, finished with a warm caramel glaze. Make ahead for potlucks—if you can keep it from disappearing!
This cake is irresistible: diced Granny Smith apples in a moist brown sugar cake with a silky caramel glaze that soaks into the crumb. The flavor is like apple pie in cake form—warm spices, bright apples and rich caramel in every bite.
The recipe comes from classic Southern cookbooks and relies on everyday ingredients: brown and granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, flour, baking soda, warm spices, apples, toasted pecans and vanilla. I also like to add a touch of allspice and cloves for deeper flavor.
How to make the caramel apple cake
Start by creaming the sugars and oil until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift together the flour, baking soda and spices, then add the dry mixture gradually to the wet ingredients. The batter will be thick and aromatic—think apple pie.
Fold in the chopped apples, toasted pecans and vanilla, tasting as you go. Spread the batter evenly in a well-buttered 9×13-inch baking dish.
Bake at 325°F. Start checking with a toothpick at about 50 minutes; the cake may need roughly 1 hour and 10 minutes total. Test frequently near the end so you don’t overbake—the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Brown Sugar Glaze
While the cake bakes, make the glaze so it’s warm and pourable when the cake comes out. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in brown sugar and bring to a boil for about three minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, salt and cream, then return to a brief boil for one minute.
Let the glaze cool slightly, then beat until smooth and creamy. Poke holes all over the top of the warm cake with a skewer or fork and pour the warm glaze slowly over the surface so it soaks into the cake, creating pockets of gooey caramel.
Caramel Apple Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 5 fresh apples (Granny Smith recommended), peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
- 1 1/4 cups chopped, toasted pecans
- 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
Glaze
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Beat brown and granulated sugars with oil until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
- Sift together flour, baking soda and spices, then add gradually to the egg mixture. Stir in apples, pecans and vanilla.
- Pour batter into prepared dish and bake about 1 hour 10 minutes. Begin testing with a toothpick at 50 minutes and check frequently until it comes out clean.
- Remove cake from oven and prepare the glaze while it cools briefly.
- Poke holes all over the cake with a skewer and pour the warm glaze slowly over the top so it sinks into the cake.
Glaze
- Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in brown sugar; bring to a boil and cook about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, salt and heavy cream, then boil for 1 minute.
- Allow to cool slightly and beat until creamy, then pour over the cake as directed.