Caramel and apple cake

Caramel Apple Pecan Layer Cake

Caramel Apple Pecan Cake has layers of moist apple spice cake sprinkled with pecans, caramel frosting, cinnamon apples and caramel sauce drizzled over top! It’s the perfect way to kick off apple season and an easy dessert idea for Thanksgiving!

Table of Contents

So although I say that the hubs and I live in Atlanta, GA, the truth is we live a little north of the city. It’s an area most people haven’t heard of though, so Atlanta just makes more sense to say. But being a bit further north, we are a stone’s through away from the Georgia mountains. Within about an hour, we can get to some fun hiking and waterfalls, a few wineries and in the fall – lots of apple picking farms! There are tons of them around where you can go and pick your own apples – they even serve apple cider to sip on. 🙂 We are officially entering apple season with some places beginning to allow apple picking starting this week. Can you believe it’s that time of year already?

So to kick it off, I’m sharing this cake with so many of my fall favorites in it. Apples, spices, pecans and caramel. There are few things I love more than caramel and I use my favorite homemade caramel sauce over and over in recipes. I even recently added a video to show you just what each step of the process looks like, if you want to go check that out.

There are a few steps to making this cake, so let’s get started. 🙂

How to Make the Layers for this Caramel Cake

First of all, the cake layers. The cake starts with the traditional creaming method – and you want to be sure to not skimp on the creaming. It adds air to the batter than helps give the cake layers their fluffiness. I used a mix of apple butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice to give the layers their flavor and it’s perfection! The apple butter adds great apple flavor and the spices give it extra love! The sour cream adds moisture that can’t be replaced – it’s the best. And there are some chopped pecans mixed in at the end that add a little crunch. Of course if you aren’t a pecan fan, you can leave them out.

How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce for this Cake

While the cakes are baking, you could make the caramel sauce. I’ve got the instructions included below, but it’s the same as this homemade caramel recipe so if you’d like to check out the video to make sure you’re doing it right, that’s the place to go. 🙂 The biggest thing to remember is to have your butter and heavy cream at room temperature – or even warmer. If they are too cool, it can cause the caramel to seize.

When the caramel sauce is made, set aside about 3/4 cup for putting over the top of the cake at the end. The remaining caramel will be used to make the caramel frosting. An important thing to remember when making the caramel frosting is that the temperature of your caramel sauce matters. If you make the frosting while the caramel is still warm, it’ll be a little softer and firm up as the frosting cools (so don’t make it too stiff when warm, or it’ll really be firm when it’s cooled). If you wait until it’s cooled, the frosting will be thicker to start. I usually just make the frosting when it’s warm since the caramel incorporates nicely, then let it cool. If it ends up a bit thick, you can always add a little more water or milk to thin it out.

How to Assemble Your Caramel Apple Cake

Once the cake layers and caramel frosting are ready, it’s time to layer them together. You want to be sure to remove the cake domes. There’s nothing worse than stacking a beautiful, tall cake and then having it split down the middle because of a dome in the center.

I like to use my offset spatula for adding the frosting so that I have good control and then spread from the center out to the edges so I can push the frosting just up to the edge of the cake. I made a video of the process of putting the cake together, so be sure to check that out below for some extra guidance.

How to Make the Brown Sugar Apple Topping

Once everything is stacked, it’s time to make the apples. I stacked my cake the night before and made the apples right before serving the cake so they were fresh and the caramel on top was freshly added (which is why the background of the video changes a bit).

The apples are cooked right on the stove and should only take about 15 minutes to cook. They are mixed with some butter, brown sugar and spices and are super tasty!

Pile those apples right on top of the cake, then use a spoon to drizzle the caramel down the sides. I used my offset spatula to finish spreading and adding caramel around the top edge of the cake, then finished it off with a little more caramel drizzle and some chopped pecans.

Imagine a big bite of moist apple spice cake with pecans, caramel frosting, warm cinnamon apples and more caramel sauce. Is your mouth watering yet? It totally should be because this cake is SO GOOD! I hope you love it as much as we did!

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Caramel Apple Pecan Layer Cake

• Author: Life, Love and Sugar
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes, plus cooling
• Yield: 12-14 Slices
• Category: Cake
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Description

Caramel Apple Pecan Cake has layers of moist apple spice cake sprinkled with pecans, caramel frosting, cinnamon apples and caramel sauce drizzled over top!

Ingredients

CAKE LAYERS

• 3/4 cup ( 168g ) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups ( 310g ) sugar
• 3/4 cup ( 173g ) sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups ( 325g ) all purpose flour
• 4 tsp ( 15g ) baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of allspice
• ½ tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (180ml) apple butter
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

CARAMEL SAUCE AND FROSTING

• 1 1/2 cups ( 310g ) sugar
• 9 tbsp ( 126g ) salted butter, cubed, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
• 4 cups ( 460g ) powdered sugar
• 2 – 3 tbsp (30-45ml) milk

CINNAMON APPLES

• 1 – 2 apples, chopped
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch ground nutmeg
• sprinkle of lemon juice
• 1 tbsp ( 14g ) butter

Chopped pecans, optional, for top of cake

Instructions

1. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) .
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
3. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
4. Add egg whites in two batches, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine the apple butter and milk in a small measuring cup.
6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well combined. Add the apple butter mixture and mix until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Stir in the pecans.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for about 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
8. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 3-5 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

WHILE CAKES BAKE AND COOL, MAKE THE CARAMEL SAUCE AND FROSTING:

9. Pour sugar into an even layer in a large saucepan.
10. Heat on medium-high heat, whisking the sugar until melted. The sugar will clump up first, but will eventually completely melt. This will take about 10 minutes.
11. Once the sugar has melted, stop whisking and allow to cook until the sugar has turned to a little darker amber color. You may notice a nutty aroma. The change in color will happen quickly, so don’t let it go too long or get too dark or it’ll burn. Remove caramel from the heat.
12. Add butter and whisk until combined. The mixture will bubble up, but keep whisking until all the butter has melted and combined.
13. Slowly pour the heavy cream into the caramel and whisk until incorporated.
14. Cool at least 10-15 minutes before using. See notes in above post about frosting and caramel consistency.
15. Set aside about 3/4 cup of caramel sauce for using on top of the cake later. Transfer remaining caramel sauce (about 1 1/4 cups) to a mixing bowl.
16. Slowly add powdered sugar and milk and mix until smooth. You can add more or less milk to get the right consistency for the icing.

TO PUT THE CAKE TOGETHER:

17. When the cakes are cool, remove the domes of the cakes with a large serrated knife so they are flat.
18. Place the first layer of cake on cake stand. Top with 1/2 of the caramel frosting and spread into an even layer.
19. Add second layer of cake and add remaining caramel frosting. Spread frosting into an even layer.
20. Top cake with the remaining cake layer.
21. To make the cinnamon apples, add everything to a large pan, toss together, and cook over medium heat until apples are tender.
22. Pile apples onto the top of the cake.
23. Use a spoon to drizzle the remaining caramel sauce down the sides of the cake. If the caramel sauce has cooled too much, warm it up in the microwave a bit.
24. Use the end of an offset spatula to spread additional caramel around the top edge of the cake, then drizzle a little more caramel sauce over the apples.
25. Finish off the cake with a sprinkle of chopped pecans.
26. Cake is best served when apples are fresh, but can be refrigerated until ready to serve if needed.

Keywords: caramel cake recipe, apple cake recipe, apple dessert idea, caramel dessert, thanksgiving dessert idea

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French Caramel Apple Cake

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This delicious Caramel Apple Cake couldn’t be easier with a simple microwave caramel sauce, a one-bowl, no-mixer cake recipe and no need to even peel the apples!

Need a super easy, super impressive dessert? You’ve definitely come to the right place! This wonderful caramel apple cake can be whipped together quickly and when you flip it out of the pan, the beautiful sight that greets your eyes will be sure to bring a big smile!

Apple season has begun here in the mountain orchards of North Carolina. It officially started on August 14th with Ginger Gold and Galas being the first apples to ripen. Now, two weeks later, Fuji, Honey Crisp, Jonagold and several others are also ready — so exciting! I’ve also been picking up some wonderful apples at our local grocery store and produce market, so I thought it was time to make apple cake — caramel apple cake to be precise!

A tried and true recipe

Rather than coming up with something new I decided to adapt an old faithful, never-fail friend for this recipe, our beloved French Grandmother Lemon Yogurt Cake. It’s one of those recipes you can stir up in minutes using common ingredients and simple tools — one bowl and no mixer. It always turns out moist with a lovely tender crumb and is thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who tries it. It is also the base for several other Café favorite cakes including our recent Upside Down Plum Cake.

French-inspired

True confession; this isn’t really a «French» recipe but since it’s derived from the French Grandmother cake, I thought I had the «legal» rights to include the word French in the title! It just sounds a little fancier and more elegant than «Caramel Apple Cake», don’t you think? No one (besides you and me) has to know how easy it is!

A «real deal» caramel sauce

For the base of this caramel apple cake, which actually becomes the topping after the cake is baked and turned out, I went with a delicious, authentic caramel sauce which is also super easy and requires very little fuss. This easy caramel sauce is made in the microwave and doesn’t have the complications of classic caramel sauce.

No apple peeling!

I decided to try just dicing the apples without peeling them and was delighted with the results. The peeling tenderizes in the oven and also adds beautiful color to the caramel apple topping. To make things really speedy, I used my Vidalia Chopper to dice the apples and it works like a charm. If you’re a regular follower here at The Café, you already know how much I love this little inexpensive kitchen workhorse. I use it almost every day, as it’s wonderful for chopping onions, peppers, potatoes, squash, cucumbers, eggs, peaches, pears and definitely apples!

Pick up some apples and make this delicious caramel apple cake. You won’t be sorry, and anyone who has the pleasure of gracing your table will be extremely happy!

Café Tips for making this French Caramel Apple Cake

• You’ll need a 9-inch cake pan with sides that are at least 2 inches tall. I love these OXO cake pans. They’re sturdy, non-stick and I’ve had mine for several years and they still look like new!
• I often use Greek yogurt for this caramel apple cake but you can also use regular plain yogurt. In fact, in a pinch, you could also use buttermilk or sour cream. They’ll all work!
• I like to use a red-skinned apple for this cake, but any apple that’s suitable for baking (ie Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jonagold, Winesap, Golden Delicious. ) will work well. I would stay away from really firm apples like Granny Smith though as this cake doesn’t stay in the oven long enough for them to soften.
• I’m a big fan of butter in cake recipes. This cake calls for oil (no butter) and I was a bit skeptical until I actually tasted the cake. Don’t be tempted to substitute butter, as the oil keeps the cake light yet moist at the same time. And the flavor is wonderful!
• Any type of neutral-flavored oil works well in this recipe. I have made it with sunflower, grapeseed, canola and avocado oils. They all work well.
• You can make the caramel sauce in advance which makes it super easy and quick to throw this cake together. If the sauce has been refrigerated, warm it up in the microwave for a minute or so to loosen it up before using in the recipe.
• As this cake bakes, some of the caramel finds its way up the sides of the pan and a bit could bubble over the pan so it’s important to use the sheet pan as directed in the recipe.
• Also, when you remove the cake from the pan, it will look like the cake below. You can serve it as is or brush more of the caramel sauce on the sides as in the pictures above.
• You’ll have more caramel sauce than you need, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Serve it over ice cream or use it as a dipping sauce for apple slices or bananas — delish!

Thought for the day:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:12

What we’re listening to for inspiration:

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.

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