The best fresh apple cake recipe with brown butter cream cheese frosting and a salted caramel drip
This fresh apple cake recipe is perfectly spiced with chunks of real apple in each layer. Frosted with brown butter cream cheese frosting and a rich salted caramel drip. The perfect cake for fall.
What are the best apples to use in an apple cake recipe?
You want to use apples that will hold their shape while baking. I cut my apples into small pieces so that they bake evenly with the cake batter.
- Jonagold - Slightly tart, crisp, not too sweet and holds it's shape well after baking.
- Honeycrisp - Crisp, sweet, holds it's shape well after baking.
- Braeburn - Crisp, sweet and very juicy. Holds its shape well for baking.
- Mutsu - Sweet, firm and great for baking
- Pink Lady - Sweet, crisp and firm. Great for baking.
- Granny Smith - A tart apple that holds its shape during baking. Not very sweet.
- Cortland - Not too sweet, slightly tart. Softer than other apples but still holds its shape.
What is the best way to cut apples for a cake?
The star of this cake is the fresh apple chunks inside, so you want them to be visible, but not giant pockets of squishy apple inside your cake. I go for pieces about ¼ inch square. This is a little bit smaller than you'd make for apple pie.
Tip: Chop your apples first so you don't have to mess with them when you're making your cake batter.
After peeling your apples you'll want to core them. Use this fancy apple corer or a good old fashioned knife!
Place your apple facing down on a cutting board. Press your apple corer firmly into the center of the apple and pull out the core. That's it! (Just be careful of your fingers.)
If you're using a paring knife, you can also just cut a square around the core to get it out. Just try to waste as little as possible!
How to make a fresh apple layer cake
Apple cake is very moist and delicate. I like to work with chilled cake layers so they are easier to handle.
- Place your first layer of cake onto a cake cardboard or onto a cake plate.
- Spread a layer of frosting evenly onto the cake with an offset spatula. Try to keep the frosting an even thickness.
- Place your second cake layer on top of the frosting and repeat the process.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the whole cake. This is called the crumb coat. Place the cake into the fridge to chill until the frosting hardens. About 20 minutes.
- Frost the cake with more buttercream. I made my frosting nice and smooth but you could do a rustic finish if you like.
- Drizzle your salted caramel over the top of the cake with a spoon.
- Finish the cake with some piped rosettes of buttercream and some fresh apple slices soaked in water and lemon juice to prevent browning. I used a 1M piping tip.
If you want to learn more about how to stack and fill a layer cake for the ultimate beginner, check out my how to decorate your first cake tutorial.
How long will an apple cake keep?
Apple cake is very moist and can be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. In warm climates, it is better to store apple cake in the fridge to prevent molding. If refrigerated, take the apple cake out of the fridge 1-2 hours before eating so that it's at room temperature. A cold cake can taste dry.
What frosting and fillings go well with apple cake?
Apple cake is basically a spice cake but with chunks of apples in it. Think warm fall flavors. I frosted this cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting but regular cream cheese frosting or classic easy buttercream with a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon added would taste amazing as well!
If you wanted even more apple flavor, you could put apple filling inside the cake as well! Apple heaven! Just remember to pipe a dam of buttercream around the cake perimeter to keep the filling from oozing out.
I topped this fresh apple cake with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. What goes better with apples than caramel?
What kind of spices goes well in apple cake?
The great part about this cake is that you mix it up and use your favorite spices! Allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves are great spices to use. If you want to use more or less of a certain spice you can adjust it to your taste.
Can this be made into cupcakes?
To make this apple cake recipe into cupcakes, reduce the applesauce to 4 ounces and omit the oil. I fill my cupcake liners about ⅔ of the way full with the cake batter then put in two pieces of apple. Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes until the center of the cupcake is set. Let cool and frost as desired.
Easy apple cake
Do you want a delicious apple cake without all the fuss of layers? Try coating your apples in cinnamon in sugar and 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Spread them evenly in the bottom of a 10" cake pan. Pour the apple cake batter over the top and bake for 35-40 minutes until the sides of cake start to pull away from the pan.
Let the cake cool 15 minutes then flip out onto a cake plate. You have yourself a yummy upside-down apple cake! Drizzle on some caramel or dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Looking for other fall cakes? Try these!
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Equipment
- apple corer
- Electric Stand Mixer
- Three 8″×2″ Cake Pans
Ingredients
Apple Cake Recipe
- ½ lemon lemon juice squeezed over chopped apples to prevent browning
- 3 or 4 medium honeycrisp apples chopped in ¼ inch pieces
- 2 medium apples (optional) cut in wedges for decoration
- 10 ounces cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- 10 ounces granulated sugar
- 3 ounces vegetable oil
- 1 whole egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces applesauce unsweetened
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces browned butter room temperature
- 8 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 20 ounces powdered sugar
Caramel Sauce Drip
- 7 ounces granulated sugar
- 2 ounces water
- 3 ounces unsalted butter
- 4 ounces heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Apple Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350º F (177º C). Make sure your butter, egg, and cream cheese are fully at room temperature before you start.
- Peel the apples and core them using an apple corer or a knife.
- Cut the apples into ¼ inch pieces and place into a bowl. Squeeze ½ a lemon over the apples to prevent browning. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
- Add the butter to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and cream until smooth.
- Add the sugar and oil to the butter and cream on medium until the mixture is white and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
- While mixing on medium, add the dry ingredients in thirds and mix until combined.
- Fold in the applesauce and chopped apples until combined.
- Grease three 8 inch pans with cake goop or another type of pan release. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
- Bake at 350º F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The layers will be thin.
- Let the cake rest in the pan until it's cool enough to touch, then flip out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before stacking (wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge or freezer to speed up the cooling process).
Brown Butter Frosting
- Place the softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix until smooth.
- Add the cream cheese and mix until smooth.
- Add the browned butter and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time while mixing on low until fully incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Add the salt and vanilla and mix until combined.
Caramel Drip
- Place the sugar and water in a medium-sized pot. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
- Remove the lid and place a candy thermometer in the pot. Continue cooking until the thermometer reads 350º F (hard crack stage) or the sugar is a deep golden brown color. Do not stir.
- Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the butter. Be careful, it will bubble up.
- Whisk in the cream and salt.
- Let the caramel cool completely before using it for the drip.
Assembly
- Place the first cake layer onto a cake cardboard or a cake plate.
- Spread a layer of frosting evenly onto the cake with an offset spatula, keeping the thickness even. For added apple flavor, pipe a dam of frosting around the perimeter instead and fill the center with apple filling.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting and repeat. Add the third layer and repeat once more.
- Spread a thin crumb coat of frosting over the whole cake. Chill in the fridge until the frosting hardens, about 20 minutes.
- Frost the cake with the remaining frosting, smooth or rustic finish. Drizzle the caramel over the top with a spoon, then finish with piped rosettes and apple slices soaked in lemon water.
Eathan Johnson says
This cake was delicious! The brown butter cream cheese frosting was super interesting and tasty as well. The cakes are for sure good enough to stand on their own as muffins as well. I made it twice and I felt it didn't have quite as much structure as I'd like the first time so I used half all purpose flour which worked great with the cupcakes/muffins I made.
Oksana says
Absolutely increasable. Just like anything Liz makes. I made cupcakes but they turned out spectacular. Wish I could post a picture . Moist and perfectly spiced with delicious apple. I even made brown butter frosting. Made my own brown butter for the first time. Yum yum yum. Making for all the neighbors for thanksgiving! Thank you Liz
Laura Livingston says
Love this cake. It really is a great recipe. I want to take this to 2 friends so could it possibly be made in 2 loaf pans? Would I need to change anything? Thanks for your help.
Elizabeth Marek says
Absolutely! I will most likely have to bake for longer so keep an eye on it.
Ella says
Hi Liz!
Thank you for all of your delicious recipes! Would you happen to know if this cake will freeze will with the fresh apples? I’m looking to make it for my best friends wedding cake, 4 layer 9 inch cake. The adjustment calculator isn’t working for me, would I double this recipes to have enough batter?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can freeze it just fine because the apples are baked.
Autumn Gordon-Chow says
Hi! This cake was soo delicious. The flavors were divine! My crumb was a little dry (maybe over baked) but also, it did not hold together at all when sliced. What could have gone wrong? Thanks!
PS- I come here for all of my new baking adventures. Your recipes are wonderful!
Sugar Geek Show says
Hi thank you! Sorry to hear it didn't hold, I'm not sure why. Did you measure your ingredients by weight and bring everything to room temperature?
Sarah says
Excellent cake! My husband said it looked like a mashed potatoes and gravy cake. 😂 Just wanted to point out though you mentioned salt twice in the printed instructions even though it only called for it once. Thanks again for the fabulous recipe!
Elizabeth Marek says
Oh thank you!
Montse Castillo says
Hello, I really want to make this cake but it's posible to half it :(? Pls let me know.
Regards!!
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can cut the recipe in half by adjusting the servings slider on the recipe card to read fewer servings and it will adjust the ingredients.
Val says
So easy to make and absolutely divine!
Lyz says
Hello Liz!
Could this recipe be used for a Bundt cake version? Any alterations needed?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I would add fresh apples and spices to my vanilla bundt cake recipe. This one might be too tender. Replace white sugar with brown sugar as well.
Lyndi says
Hi Liz, I’m planning on making this for thanksgiving, can I use APF instead of cake flour? Will the texture be different. Also, can you give us the apples needed in weight? Thanks so much, love you and your tasty cakes!
The Sugar Geek Show says
I haven't tested it with AP flour but I think it would be ok since we're not using the reverse creaming method. It might be a tiny bit less tender. I don't have the weight for the apples, unfortunately.
Nicole Allen says
Hi Liz! I hope that you and your family are doing well. This question may sound dumb... where can I find the browned butter for the 8oz needed for frosting? Is this something I need to make on my own or is this found in the grocery store?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Not dumb at all! I suppose I should have put that in the recipe oops! Here is how to brown butter. Super easy! https://sugargeekshow.com/brown-butter/
Mallory says
Hello, hoping to make this a 4 layered cake with 6 inch pans. What would you recommend for cooking times and oven temperature?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Same temperature and bake for the same amount of time, maybe even longer since the 6" cakes will be thicker than the 8" cakes.
Séverine says
Hi Liz !
Looved this recipe !!
Can I freeze the caramel sauce ?
The Sugar Geek Show says
No need to, it will keep in the fridge for pretty much forever 🙂
Lyndi Miller says
Can you use “brown butter” for the cake?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Absolutely! That would be delish!
Jaylen says
Hey On the Apple Spice Cake here: mixed the applesauce in. On the receipe here you folded it in. Is there a big difference. I know that was technically another cake.
The Sugar Geek Show says
No there isn't a big difference, the cake is super simple 🙂