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Apple Cake with Caramel

This apple caramel cinnamon cake is SUCH a gem. It’s super moist, tender, and brimming with warm spices and plummy apples. It is just as delish with or without the caramel drizzle!

Apple Cake with Caramel Drizzle on white plate
This Apple Cake with Caramel features warm fall flavors.

Apple Cake with Caramel

Fall is synonymous with apples galore, and we’re here to embrace all of it.

Our month of apple love included these tasty and healthier Baked Apple Cinnamon Doughnut Holes for breakfast.  Not to mention these fluffy soft Apple Oatmeal Cookies for afternoon pick-me-ups.  

I’ve been wanting to bake up an apple cake for ever since an old friend brought a tasty apple cake over to our house many years ago. Since then, this tender apple cake has been a family favorite every fall, and now you can bake it for your favorite people as well.

Apple Cake with Caramel Drizzle squares
Loaded with fresh apples and spices

Apples for Baking

There are several great choices when choosing apples that are good for baking. Here are a few tried and true favorites:

  • Granny smith apples are a classic choice for baking into apple pies, and they’re a great pick for apple cakes as well. Granny smith apples are known for their tart-sweet flavor profile, as well as their firmness. They bake up tenderly yet maintain shape without becoming mushy.
  • Honeycrisp apples are famous for their huge apple flavor and sweetness. Honeycrisp apples have a wonderfully crisp texture; when baked, they become tender without turning into mush. We love them in this Easy Apple Crisp.
  • Gala and Fuji apples both have a crisp, sweet flesh that works well for baking. They’re great in baked goodies such as this Moist Apple Fritter Bread and Caramel Apple Baked Donuts.
Apple Cake with Caramel Drizzle slice
Dressed up with caramel sauce and powdered sugar

The Flavors

This apple caramel cinnamon cake might be the best thing to make with apples this entire fall.  It’s amazingly tender, super moist, and brimming with plummy apples and warm spices in every bite.  The warm caramel drizzle is a happy bonus, but this cake is already so good by itself that it can fly solo.  Serve this cake dressed up or as-is; the choice is yours.

If you want to go all out, drizzle that ooey-gooey caramel all over the cake, followed by a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Pre-slice it into squares, if you’d like. Leftovers keep well at room temperature for several days, and cake can also be frozen. Whatever you do, just don’t lose this recipe, because you’ll want it for every fall from this day forward.

Try this One-Bowl Apple Cake with Cheesecake Icing


apple cake with caramel sauce

Apple Caramel Cinnamon Cake

4.93 from 38 ratings
This apple caramel cinnamon cake is SUCH a gem. It’s super moist, tender, and brimming with warm spices and plummy apples. It is just as delish with or without the caramel drizzle!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 20
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F and move rack to middle or lower middle position. Generously grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan. Set aside.
  • In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat oil and eggs until fully combined. Add both sugars and vanilla and beat until mixture is smooth and creamy.
  • In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture and use rubber spatula to fold together just until incorporated. The batter will be thick. Fold in the diced apples with spatula and spread batter into greased/floured pan.
  • Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Don’t over-bake.
  • Cool cake on wire rack. Slice into squares to serve when cake is cooled.
  • For caramel drizzle: Melt caramels and 2 tsp water in saucepan, stirring constantly just until melted. Will be very hot! Drizzle with fork over cake squares. Sprinkle powdered sugar just before serving, if desired.

Notes

*Instead of using store-bought caramel candy, you can use this 4-ingredient Salted Caramel recipe as well.

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2.1g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Cholesterol: 18.7mg | Sodium: 135.7mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 24.7g
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Method: baking

Did you make this?

Leave a comment below and tag @chewoutloud on Instagram

Other Apple Favorites

apple baked oatmeal bars

Baked Apple Oatmeal Bars are teeming with healthy ingredients you’ll love, with flavors the family adores.


Apple Pie Bars

Apple Pie Bars are just like pie, but much easier. Tender baked apples are encased in a buttery crust, and topped with your choice of icing or caramel.


Apple Crisp

This Apple Crisp boasts the crispiest topping, without becoming soggy. Perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

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Recipe Rating




57 comments

    • Ksenia
    • 5 stars

    There is nothing about this gorgeous falltime cake that isnt perfect! I love the spices, the Granny Smith apples, and the gooey caramel sauce. Great work!!

    • Michele
    • 5 stars

    I took this apple cake to a church potluck and it was a hit! Thanks you for a delicious recipe!

    • Brianna
    • 5 stars

    Apples, cinnamon and caramel, fall desserts don’t get much better! I love texture the olive oil gives this cake.

    • LaKita
    • 5 stars

    This cake looks so sweet, perfect, and delicious! Plus the caramel drizzle is the best part of this amazing dessert!

    • Silvia
    • 5 stars

    Absolutely delicious. I love Granny Smith apples in desserts, they are tart and sweet and keep their shape. this cake is perfect for the season, for parties or for coffee time.

    • Linda
    • 5 stars

    That caramel drizzle and this apple cake make a perfect duet! Especially when the cake is still warm – so good and comforting

    • Patti
    • 5 stars

    The chunks of apples and the caramel drizzle make this the perfect decadent fall cake. Because it has apples in it, I can tell myself that I’m eating a serving of fruit. LOL.

    • Mikayla
    • 5 stars

    Can I say delicious more clearly. I had to go with the salted caramel option, definitely a great dessert!

    • Heidy
    • 5 stars

    I love this recipe for Apple Cake with Caramel! It was so on point and delicious! I will be making this again soon. The husband requested I make it again in a few weeks. Have a great weekend.

    • Angie
    • 5 stars

    I can easily get sidetracked looking at all of your amazing apple recipes!! I’ve been planning to make an apple cake for fall, and adding caramel sounds like a great idea.

    • Moop Brown
    • 5 stars

    This cake looks like it’s the perfect texture and seems great for the fall season as well.

      • chewoutloud

      SO good, all fall long 🙂

    • Jacqueline Debono
    • 5 stars

    I love all kinds of apple cakes and desserts especially in the autumn when we have the best apples. This apple cinnamon cake looks so good. Love the caramel drizzle too!

      • chewoutloud

      It’s one of our go-to favorites!

    • Natalia
    • 5 stars

    Your apple cake with caramel looks fantastic! You always have such original creative recipes! Pinning for later. Thank you!

      • chewoutloud

      Thanks for pinning!

    • Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli
    • 5 stars

    What a perfect Fall baking treat! So moist and full of apples and cinnamon. Plus, that caramel, just takes it over the top delicious!

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you liked it!

    • veenaazmanov
    • 5 stars

    I have to make this delicious and flavorful dessert for this weekend. Looks yum and easy to make too.

      • chewoutloud

      You will love it!

    • Amanda Dixon
    • 5 stars

    This is the perfect fall cake! The spice added such a nice warmth, and it was super soft and moist.

      • chewoutloud

      Yay, that’s awesome, Amanda!

    • Susan Pridmore
    • 5 stars

    Apple season might be my very favorite season of the year. This looks fabulous. And I love that you melted caramel candies! I’ve always thought I “had” to make caramel sauce from scratch, and steered away. Your approach is genius.

      • chewoutloud

      LOL, thank you, Susan!

    • Priya Maha
    • 5 stars

    I was looking for an apple cake recipe on the internet and found yours. The images are so mouth-watering I decided to give it a try. This was a truly wonderful recipe and I really thank you for it.

      • chewoutloud

      Super happy you enjoyed this cake!

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