Caramel Apple Cake

Written by on in Cakes

Welcome to 2020!

I wish all of my (3) readers a happy new year full of love, happiness, and tasty treats!

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Speaking of tasty treats, I made something delicious AF for Christmas.

But Stacey! We thought you were Jewish!

I am, but my Brother-In-Law and his family are not, so we get to celebrate (and bake) for both. And since they like to go a little fancy, so can I!

I admit that, initially, I had zero ideas for Christmas this year. In the past I’ve made very traditional desserts: Croquembouche, Sticky Toffee Pudding, and a whole winter scene with a Buche de Noel. But I had no ideas this time. Nothing seemed right. And then…

Nothing. Really. Total block.

It was my sister who came through with the wisdom that only sisters can bring:

Strangely enough that was quite helpful advice.

Once I got out of my own damn way, I was able to make a damn decision: Caramel Apple Cake!

Please be advised: the initial assembly of this cake was a hot mess. Literally. I tried pouring the caramel while it was too hot so at the beginning the cake looked like this:

But once it cooled it looked positively lovely!

A caramel cake is different from your average frosted cake. Rather than you making a caramel frosting (which is amazing with a coffee flavored cake, btw) you make actual caramel and pour that over the cake.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

To start, you must must must bring your ingredients to room temp.

I know what you’re thinking:

But in this case, I highly recommend it! So suck it up, cupcake and get out your cold stuff!

Now was that so hard?

And yes, that is sour cream aka the secret ingredient for basically every delicious cake ever…suck it mayonnaise.

The other secret ingredient to this cake?

Cake flour is just regular flour sifted together with a little corn starch. I’m sure there is some suitably scientific reason for it, but I’m too lazy to find out.

You can make your own cake flour by subbing 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for two tablespoons of flour and sifting them together a couple times…or you can be lazy and just buy some. Obviously I support being lazy, but you do you.

You start this cake by combining some ingredients: sift together your dry, whisk together your milk and sour cream, set aside.

Then, as always, cream together your butter and sugar, add your eggs ONE AT A TIME, alternate adding your wet and dry ingredients, pour into prepped cake pans, and bake.

  • Butter
  • Sugared Butter
  • Sugared Eggy Butter
  • A little dry
  • A little wet
  • Battered
  • Baked!

While the cakes cool, it’s time to start prepping your apple filling.

I have a very simple rule when it comes to cooking with apples:

GRANNY SMITH OR NOTHING!!!!

Oh, you wanted to use something else? Well let me ask you this

Granny Smith are by far the best apples to cook with. They get sweet when cooked, but don’t turn to mush the second they feel a little heat. That makes them the perfect baking apple.

So you take this:

Get it naked…

Make it bite sized

Add some cinnamon, some brown sugar, butter to make it luscious, salt to make it sing, cook over medium heat and voila!

These apples are amazingly versatile; they make a great ice cream topper, or are delicious enough to eat on their own.

Now comes the waiting game; everything has to be completely cool before you start your caramel otherwise the cake is insanely difficult to assemble.

Making the caramel was fairly simple (dump ingredients in pot and cook), but I’m definitely glad I had my candy thermometer. You have to get the caramel up to the soft ball stage with is somewhere in the 230 to 234F range. So the thermometer is a handy tool.

  • Dump
  • Cook
  • Ready…I promise it looked darker in real life

You have to let the caramel cool a bit, but then you can immediately pour it over your cake.

This is where things went to hell in a hand basket.

I swear I let the caramel cool.

I swear that I thought it was the right consistency.

I swear that it tasted amaaaaaaaazing.

But for a little while, the cake looked like this:

Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhh…not my finest moment.

By this time my mother and I were laughing our asses off because it was just so damn ridiculous.

I mean, seriously. Look at it! How can you not laugh at that?

Luckily, once the caramel cooled a little more, you could actually spread the icing without it falling off.

So the end result looked like this!

And look at my cute little caramel apples!

The inside you ask?

BAM!

It was SO. DAMN. GOOD.

The cake itself was freaking perfect (if I do say so myself). I am usually a proponent of taking boxed cake and doctoring it for flavor, but this was good enough to change my mind. I see no reason to not use this as my go-to cake base for basically everything.

You want to start your year off right? Make this cake.

Adapted from Cleobuttera and some apples that I have been making so long I forgot where I got them.

Caramel Apple Cake
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Caramel Apple Cake

Recipe by StaceyCourse: Dessert

Ingredients

  • Yellow Cake

  • 2¼ cups cake flour* (see note for substitution)

  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder

  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ cup milk (1% or above),at room temperature

  • 3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

  • 1¾ cups granulated sugar

  • 1½ tablespoons vanilla

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

  • Cinnamon Apple Filling

  • 8 medium sized Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 4 tablespoons salted butter

  • Caramel Icing

  • 3 cups heavy whipping cream

  • 1½ cups packed light brown sugar

  • 3 tablespoon light corn syrup

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

  • Yellow Cake
  • Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350F.
  • Prepare 3 (8 inch) cake pans by spraying the bottom with non-stick cooking spray and lining with parchment rounds. Spray the parchment and sides of the pans. (Or butter and flour. Your call.)
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt through a fine-mesh strainer, the whisk together to evenly combine; set aside.
  • In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk; set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand-mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), whip the butter on medium speed until pale in color and fluffy.
  • Add the granulated sugar and beat until lightened in both texture and color, 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Add in the eggs and egg yolks ONE AT A TIME, beating well between each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla.
  • On lowest speed, add in ⅓ of the flour mixture and blend until almost combined. Add in half of the milk/sour cream mixture and mix in until mostly combined. Gently mix in another ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the last half of the milk/sour cream mixture; beat until almost combined. End with the final ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Give the batter one good, final stir to make sure that everything is well incorporated.
  • Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, smoothing the surface out with a spatula.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly golden around the edges, the center springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few cooked moist crumbs attached.
  • Let the cakes rest in the pans for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, peel off parchment paper, and allow to cool completely before filling and icing.
  • Cinnamon Apple Filling
  • In a large skillet, combine apples, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Saute over medium heat until apples are tender, but not mushy (about 3-4 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool.
  • Caramel Icing
  • In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine together the cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. (Be sure to use a saucepan a lot bigger than you think you’ll need, because the mixture expands dramatically as it boils).
  • Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula until the sugar has dissolved and everything is well incorporated. The mixture will look very pale and watery at first, so don’t be alarmed.
  • Continue boiling the mixture, stirring constantly until the icing thickens and darkens into a dark amber caramel color, and registers 230 to 234°F on a thermometer, about 12 to 14 minutes.** This is known as the soft ball stage. Stir in the vanilla. Stop stirring once the caramel has reached the right temperature. The less you handle the icing after its been cooked the better, otherwise it risks getting a greasy film over it.
  • Allow the icing to cool slightly, about 5 minutes before using it to fill and glaze the cake. It is important that the icing remains very warm, so it’s still pourable, but not so hot that it spreads all over and creates a big mess.
  • Assembly
  • Once cakes are cooled completely, place one layer on a serving platter or cake stand. Top with about a cup of the apples. Repeat with second layer. Place third layer on top.
  • Pour the icing over the top of the cake, letting the excess drip over the sides. If the icing is still too warm, let it cool on the cake for a while before spreading with an offset spatula.
  • Serve cake at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers for up to a week.

Notes

  • *If you don’t have cake flour, 2 cups all-purpose flour and a 1/4 cup cornstarch instead and sift them together. Then add the other dry ingredients and sift once more.
  • **If you don’t have a food thermometer, keep a cup with ice cold water nearby. As soon the icing starts showing signs that its ready, like looking thick and caramel-colored, drop a teaspoonful of the icing in the cold water. Allow it to cool for a few seconds, then feel it. The icing should easily form a ball while in the cold water, but flattens once removed. The caramel should be soft but it shouldn’t be fluid; kind of like a slightly molten piece of mozzarella cheese. If this this is not the case, then let the mixture boil for a few more minutes, then test again.

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