Caramel Apple Layer Cake

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This Caramel Apple Layer Cake is made with layers of spiced cake that’s loaded with apples, a thick caramel filling and creamy caramel buttercream. It’s insanely scrumptious and ideal for fall!

Why You’ll Love this Caramel Apple Layer Cake

• Tender apple cake. The layers of this caramel apple layer cake are so moist and tender! The batter is made with oil (and butter), brown sugar, bitter cream and applesauce which all contribute to that tender, moist texture. SO good!
• Full of apples. I actually wished the apple taste to shine, so I used plenty of apple chunks. You’ll get a style of apple in each chunk of cake. Pure heaven! Plus, these massive items of apple add much more moisture to the cake!
• Tons of caramel taste. Caramel is the right complement to apples and this cake has the right layer of caramel. It’s thick, filled with taste and stays in place while you minimize the cake. I additionally added it to the buttercream to provide it a lift of caramel taste as nicely.
• Excellent for fall. I really like this cake within the fall (though I feel I might eat it anytime of the 12 months!). It’s not overly candy and has a pleasant mix of heat fall spices. It could be good for Thanksgiving, different fall gatherings and birthdays.

What You’ll Want

You’ll want numerous substances for this cake. Take a look at my ideas that will help you choose what you want. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card under for precise measurements.

Caramel Sauce

• Unsalted butter – You possibly can use salted butter, in case you’d like just a little salty taste.
• Darkish brown sugar – Utilizing darkish brown sugar will give the caramel a deeper taste.
• Sweetened condensed milk and Heavy whipping cream – The mix of the 2 kinds the bottom of the caramel sauce. I performed with them a bit and located an equal quantity of every to be greatest. Utilizing all heavy cream resulted in a thinner filling and utilizing all sweetened condensed milk made it too agency and gave it a unique taste.
• Corn syrup – The corn syrup helps hold the caramel filling from turning into grainy, significantly because it comes again to room temperature after cooling.

Apple Cake

• Flour – Be sure you measure it accurately to keep away from dry or dense cake. You’ll need common all-purpose flour.
• Leavening – For the perfect rise and texture, you’ll want each baking powder and baking soda.
• Spices – Use floor cinnamon and floor nutmeg for further fall taste.
• Salt – With no little salt, your cake will probably be bland.
• Unsalted butter – When baking, I usually want to make use of unsalted butter in order that I can management the quantity of salt within the batter extra exactly. Should you don’t have unsalted butter, you should use salted butter, however you’ll need to pass over the extra salt within the recipe. Convey the butter to room temperature earlier than utilizing it within the batter.
• Vegetable oil- Utilizing some oil, along with butter, provides to the moisture of the cake.
• Gentle brown sugar – For sweetness, taste and added moisture.
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs – This recipe makes use of 5 massive eggs. It’s essential to be sure to are utilizing massive eggs and never medium or further massive.
• Bitter cream – Helps hold the truffles moist and thicken the cake batter, in order that your apples don’t sink to the underside.
• Unsweetened applesauce – Boosts the apple taste and provides moisture to the batter. I like to recommend utilizing unsweetened applesauce to chop out pointless added sugars.
• Tough chopped apples – I wished the apple chunks to be outstanding within the truffles, so I chopped them into bigger bite-size items. You’ll need to use a agency, tart baking apple. I used Granny Smith apples however different baking varieties will even work.

Caramel Buttercream

• Unsalted butter – Ought to be at room temperature in order that it mixes simply. Don’t use salted butter for the frosting or it should grow to be too salty.
• Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar offers the buttercream quantity and impacts the consistency. I have a tendency to make use of an excellent bit as a result of I like a thicker buttercream that I do know will keep in place and pipes nicely. Be happy to cut back it, in case you aren’t involved about that. It’s also possible to simply scale back the general quantity of buttercream, in case you have a tendency to simply add a skinny layer of frosting to your truffles.
• Caramel sauce – You’ll use a portion of your home made caramel sauce to taste the buttercream.

The right way to Make Caramel Apple Layer Cake

Don’t miss these step-by-step photographs and instructions. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card under for the detailed printable directions.

Make the Caramel Sauce

• Add substances to the pan. Soften the butter in a big saucepan, then add the brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and corn syrup. Warmth over medium warmth till sugar is dissolved.
• Warmth to correct temperature. Prepare dinner the caramel over medium-high warmth it involves a full boil and reaches 215°F, about 4 minutes.
• Cool. Pour right into a bowl and refrigerate till utterly cooled.

Make the Apple Cake Batter

• Put together to bake. Put together three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles within the backside and grease the edges. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
• Mix dry substances. Mix the dry substances and put aside.
• Cream and add eggs. Add the butter, oil, brown sugar and vanilla extract to a big mixer bowl and beat collectively till gentle in coloration and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, mixing till principally mixed after every.

• Alternate dry and moist substances. Add half of the dry substances to the batter and blend till principally mixed. Add the bitter cream and applesauce and blend till nicely mixed. Add the remaining dry substances and blend till nicely mixed and easy.
• Fold in apples. Gently fold the chopped apples into the batter till nicely dispersed.

• Fill cake pans, bake. Divide the batter evenly between the truffles pans and bake for 25-Half-hour, or till a toothpick comes out clear.
• Cool. Take away the truffles from the oven and permit to chill for about 2-3 minutes, then take away to cooling racks to chill utterly.

Make the Buttercream

• Beat butter. Beat softened butter till easy.
• Add the opposite substances. Add half of the powdered sugar and blend till nicely mixed and easy. Add ¾ cup of ready caramel sauce and blend till nicely mixed and easy. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and blend till nicely mixed and easy.
• Whip buttercream. Beat the buttercream on excessive velocity for 3-4 minutes with the paddle attachment to whip some air into it and add quantity.

Construct the Cake

• Degree truffles. Use a serrated knife to take away the domes from the highest of every cake in order that they’re utterly flat. You possibly can take a look at my recommendations on tips on how to degree a cake.
• Layer the truffles. Place the primary cake on a serving plate. Unfold 1/2 a cup of buttercream on prime of the cake. Pipe a dam of buttercream across the outer fringe of the cake, on prime of the layer of buttercream you simply added. Fill the dam with about 1/2 a cup of caramel sauce and unfold evenly. Repeat with the second layer of cake, one other layer of frosting, a dam and caramel sauce. Prime the cake with the remaining cake layer and frost the surface of the cake.
• Adorn with caramel. Drip the remaining caramel sauce across the sides of the cake, then fill within the middle.

• Pipe border. Use the remaining buttercream to pipe a border across the prime fringe of the cake. I used Ateco tip 847. I additionally sprinkled my border with nutmeg.
• Serve. The cake could be loved instantly after adorning it, however must be stored within the fridge in case you’ve made it prematurely. Give it time to take a seat at room temperature earlier than serving.

Suggestions for Success

• Use a sweet thermometer. The caramel sauce must be thick sufficient to remain in place within the cake, however mushy sufficient to drizzle. So watch out to not below or over prepare dinner it. The easiest way to make sure it seems completely is to make use of a sweet thermometer.
• Measure flour accurately. Including the fallacious quantity of flour can actually impact the feel of the cake. Should you add an excessive amount of flour, your cake will probably be dry. I extremely advocate utilizing a meals scale and weighing your flour to keep away from this. Should you don’t have a meals scale, use the spoon and degree methodology.
• Don’t skimp on creaming time. When beating collectively the butter, oil, brown sugar and vanilla extract, accomplish that till the combination is gentle in coloration and fluffy. This could take 2-3 minutes.
• Don’t over combine. Over mixing the cake batter after you add the flour will trigger the glutens within the flour to overdevelop. This provides you with a troublesome, dense cake.
• Cool earlier than frosting. It’s important that you just permit the truffles to chill utterly earlier than stacking, filling, and frosting. If they’re too heat, the frosting will soften proper off the cake.
• Use a cake lifter. It may be difficult to maneuver skinny layers of cake if you find yourself assembling the layered cake. Generally they will can crack within the means of inserting them on the cake. For assist transferring the skinny cake layers round, I discover a cake lifter to be useful.

Storage Info

• Within the fridge: Retailer the cake within the fridge in an air-tight container or cake provider. Should you don’t have a cake provider, wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic and use toothpicks to prop it up in order that the wrap doesn’t damage the buttercream and caramel. This cake is greatest loved cool however not chilly. Let the total cake sit on the counter for Half-hour to an hour earlier than diving in. It’s greatest if eaten inside 3-4 days.
• The right way to freeze: It’s also possible to freeze this layer cake. I usually advocate freezing simply the cake layers previous to frosting and adorning. Wrap them nicely in clear plastic wrap and aluminum foil previous to freezing. Thaw the cake layers within the fridge earlier than frosting and adorning. It’s also possible to freeze the total cake. In that case, pop the absolutely frosted cake within the freezer for a few hours to agency up earlier than wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. It’s also possible to slice the cake and wrap the person slices in clear wrap or place slices in an air-tight container. Retailer the cake within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Thaw the cake within the fridge in a single day, earlier than serving.

Extra Caramel Apple Dessert Recipes

This recipe was up to date 9/3/2024. For the outdated model of the recipe, obtain the recipe PDF.

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