Description

This Caramel Apple Cake is a moist and tender vanilla-scented brown sugar cake loaded with chopped tart apples and a touch of cinnamon, topped with a sweet cinnamon sugar sprinkle and a decadent salted caramel drizzle. Perfect for Fall, it combines soft apples with warm spices and rich caramel to create a comforting dessert that is easy to prepare in just one bowl and baked in the oven.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake Batter

1 ¼ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup (145g) packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
⅔ cup (160ml) full fat plain yogurt
3 cups (300g) chopped tart apples, peeled and cored, cut into small ½-inch cubes, divided
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Topping and Drizzle

1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
About 2 tbsp caramel sauce, plus extra for drizzling before serving

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Instructions

Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side for easy removal.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
Cream Butter and Sugar: In another medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the softened butter, dark brown sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
Add Eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is well incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to maintain even mixing. The mixture should look creamy.
Combine Batter: Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Stir in the yogurt gently. Then add the remaining flour mixture and fold it in carefully until just combined, leaving a few streaks of flour.
Add Apples: Toss 2 cups of the chopped apples with the ground cinnamon. Fold them gently into the batter to distribute evenly.
Assemble Cake: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Scatter the remaining 1 cup of chopped apples over the top of the batter.
Add Caramel and Topping: Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce over the apples on top. For the topping, mix together granulated sugar and ground cinnamon, then sprinkle this evenly over the apples and caramel.
Bake: Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool and Serve: Transfer the cake pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour. Once cooled, carefully lift the cake out using the parchment overhang, drizzle additional caramel sauce over the top before slicing and serving.

Notes

This cake is super soft and moist, perfectly combining vanilla brown sugar flavor with tart cinnamon apples and a salted caramel drizzle.
Using tart apples adds a pleasant contrast to the sweetness of the cake and caramel.
Make sure to peel and core the apples to ensure tender, even baking.
Use a well-lined pan with parchment paper for easy cake removal and clean edges.
Allow the cake to cool completely before drizzling the final caramel sauce for best presentation and flavor.
This recipe is ideal for a cozy Fall dessert or as a sweet snack with tea or coffee.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/9th of cake)
Calories: 310
Sugar: 28g
Sodium: 140mg
Fat: 10g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Unsaturated Fat: 3g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 48g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 4g
Cholesterol: 65mg