Fresh Apple Cake

4.88 from 33 votes

Perfectly spiced cake with chunks of fresh apple. Frosted with brown butter cream cheese frosting and a drizzle of caramel sauce! This recipe makes enough batter for three 8″×2″ cake rounds.

Prep Time30

Cook Time35

Chill Time1

Total Time2 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 425kcal

Author: Liz Marek

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.

Video

Notes

Ingredient notes: Bring your butter, egg, and cream cheese fully to room temperature before you start, this recipe doesn't hold together well with cold ingredients. Weigh your ingredients (including liquids) with a kitchen scale for the most accurate results, it makes a real difference in a batter carrying this much fruit.

Pan options: This recipe makes three 8" layers as written. For loaf pans, expect a longer bake time than the 30 minutes listed, keep an eye on it and test with a toothpick. For four 6" layers, use the same temperature, but check a few minutes early since it may run faster or slower depending on your oven. To make cupcakes, reduce the applesauce to 4 ounces and omit the oil, fill liners about ⅔ full, then add two pieces of apple to each before baking at 350º F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the center is set. I don't recommend converting this exact recipe to a bundt pan, if you want a bundt version, start from my vanilla cake recipe instead and add chopped apples and the spice blend from this recipe.

Make-ahead and storage: Apple cake is very moist and keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. In warm climates, store it in the fridge to prevent molding, then let it sit out for 1 to 2 hours before serving so it's not cold when you eat it. Baked, unfrosted layers also freeze well, see the FAQs above for details. The caramel sauce keeps refrigerated indefinitely, so there's no need to freeze it separately.

Substitutions: All-purpose flour can replace cake flour in a pinch (see the cake flour substitute link above for the exact swap), though it hasn't been tested in this specific recipe and the crumb will likely be a little less tender.

Critical do-nots: Don't overmix once the flour goes in, it toughens the crumb. Don't skip chilling the frosted cake for 15 to 20 minutes before adding the caramel drip, or the drip won't hold its shape. Don't rush room temperature ingredients, this batter needs that structure to hold onto all the chopped apple.

Nutrition