Description
This Super Moist Caramel Apple Cake is a delicious autumn-inspired dessert featuring juicy tart apples and rich caramel swirled through a tender, moist cake spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Perfect for any occasion, this cake offers a perfect balance of sweetness and warmth with a soft crumb that melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
Scale
Fresh Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh crisp tart apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tsp lemon juice/vinegar as substitute)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour blend for gluten-free version)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
Sweeteners and Fats
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (or coconut oil for dairy-free)
- 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
- ½ cup caramel sauce (plus extra for drizzling)
Instructions
- Prepare Your Apples: Peel, core, and dice the apples into small, uniform pieces to ensure even cooking. Toss them lightly with a pinch of cinnamon to infuse flavor.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. This ensures even distribution and a perfect rise with warm spices in the cake.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a mixer, beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, which helps create a tender crumb and moist texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Incorporate the eggs one at a time for proper emulsification. Then mix in the vanilla extract to enhance the overall flavor.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk to the creamed butter and sugar, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix gently to avoid overworking the batter.
- Fold in Apples and Caramel: Gently fold the diced apples into the batter, then swirl in the caramel sauce using a knife to create pockets of caramel throughout the cake.
- Bake and Cool: Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool before slicing.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for best mixing and texture.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep the cake tender.
- Choose crisp apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp to maintain texture.
- Swirl caramel gently for even distribution and avoid sinking.
- Use an oven thermometer to ensure accurate baking temperature.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg