Every fall I crave all things spiced, including THIS Caramel Apple Spice Cake recipe! Ohhhh, the spicy goodness! Trust me, you are going to want to save this one, it is so moist and packed with flavor!
This homemade Apple Spice Cake is a heavenly combination of apples, cinnamon, nuts, caramel & all around coziness! I wish I had a big slice right now.
Caramel Apple Spice Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1stick) (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (107 g) vegetable oil
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons (6 g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (252 g) applesauce (unsweetened)
- 3 cups (342 g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon ( 9 g) cinnamon
- 2 cups (250 g) grated apples, peeled before grating. I used Granny Smith (3 large apples or 4 medium) ( I used the large holes on a box grater
- 1 cup (100 g) chopped pecans or walnuts
- Zest of 1 small lemon (optional)
- 1 Jar of Caramel Sauce/topping for spreading on layers and drizzling
- Cream Cheese Frosting (or your filling/frosting of choice. see our Recipes section!)
- *Makes approximately 6 1/2 cups of batter
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour three 8 inch pans A WAXED PAPER circle should be put in the bottom of each pan (grease and flour also) there tends to be more of a sticking problem when recipes have fruit.
- Cream the butter, add oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and applesauce. Mix well.
- Put the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to mix.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to blend.
- Fold in the grated apples, lemon zest and nuts.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes then turn out.
- As I assembled my cake layers, I added another layer of flavor with a very thinly spread coating of caramel. I used store bought. I spread the top of each layer with a very thin layer before spreading my cream cheese filling. After assembling, I frosted the cake with cream cheese frosting and drizzled with additional caramel sauce. *I have also made this cake as a bundt cake, and as cupcakes with great results!
This Caramel Apple Spice Cake has so much flavor on it’s own, but ohhh the filling and frosting takes it to a whole new level! I always find cream cheese-based frostings to be a PERFECT complement to spiced desserts.
*You can find the Cream Cheese Frosting recipe that we used for our cake here: Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe Or, if you’d like to try our favorite Apple Spice Cream Cheese Frosting, you can find it here: Apple Spice Cream Cheese Frosting. Both of these recipes are so simple to make and taste fantastic!
For those of you who love to work with doctored cake mix recipes, this simple Apple Spice Cake {Doctored Cake Mix} Recipe is amazing! All of the apple spiced flavor that you love in a scratch recipe. In fact, nobody would guess that it started from a mix!
I highly recommend printing both of these Apple Spice recipes, it’s good to have options! Yummmmm…..
If you’re looking for more favorite fall and Thanksgiving cake ideas and tutorials, don’t miss our Roundup of Fall and Thanksgiving Cake Recipes, Tutorials, and Ideas!
Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to check out our other FAVORITE cake and frosting recipes and tutorials in our Recipes section, as well as a full collection of free cake tutorials in our Free Cake Tutorial Section!
Grease HOW…???
Hi Vesela, to prepare the pans, we coat them in a thin layer of vegetable shortening, then dust with flour, tapping the pan on the sink as you rotate to make sure it’s covered, then tap out the excess flour. Then line the cake pan with a circle of waxed paper as fruit cakes are more likely to stick.
HOW MUCH GRAMMS GREASE ….???
Hi Vesela, there is no measurement for the amount of vegetable shortening. You just put a small amount on a paper towel and rub it over the pans for a very light, clear coating.
BRAVO !!!
Would this cake hold up to fondant?
Hi Janelle, Yes, it should hold up to fondant.