This is the Caramel Apple Cake of my DREAMS. A soft, warmly-spiced apple cake rippled with sticky caramel, topped with caramel whipped cream.
This caramel apple cake is such a treat. It’s fancy enough to serve at a holiday event but is super simple to make.
How to Make Caramel Apple Cake
My recipe couldn’t be easier. It uses the “muffin method” of mixing. No creaming needed, no stand mixer required. All you need is one bowl for mixing the dry ingredients and one bowl for wet ingredients. Then you gently combine the two and the batter is done.
Make the Cake Batter
- Weigh your flour. This ensures you don’t end up with too much, which can dry out your cake. Here’s my cheap-o kitchen scale on Amazon.
- Whisk in remaining dry ingredients. Spices, leavening, you’ve got this.
- In a second bowl, whisk together oil, sour cream, milk and egg.
- Use a large spatula to gently fold the oil mixture into the flour mixture. A large spatula means fewer strokes are needed to combine the batter, meaning less gluten is formed (read: more tender cake).
- Use the 80% rule. Stop mixing the batter when there are still floury streaks (it should be about 80% combined) and add the apple pieces. When you stir them in, you’ll finish incorporating any remaining dry patches without over-mixing the cake.
- Bake and test. My favourite way to test a cake is using an instant thermometer. The cake crumb is set but still moist when the centre reaches 190ºF.
Fill the Cake with Caramel
To get the luscious caramel ripple inside the cake, you first need to poke the cooled cake all over with a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon.
- Wiggle it gently back and forth to make a bit more space inside for the caramel.
- Then, you fill a pastry bag with the caramel and pipe it into the holes, overfilling them so the caramel expands a bit into the cake.
(It is the same method you’d use to fill donuts.)
How to Make Your Own Caramel Sauce
To make the caramel ripple, all you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk. Take the label off and simmer it for 2-3 hours. Wait until the can is cool, then open it up and you have dulce de leche, a milky caramel sauce. (See details and safety notes in recipe below!)
I recommend making the caramel sauce the day before. I have it simmering away while I’m doing other tasks, like making dinner. Have you ever made your own dulce de leche like this? So easy. If you simmer it for 3 hours, you’ll get a darker caramel. I stopped shortly after two and mine was golden.
Other Favorite Apple Treats
- Apple Pie Cake
- Apple Muffins
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake
- Caramel Apple Cookies
- Homemade Caramel Apples
- Chai Apple Cake
Notes on the Ingredients
- Whole milk and sour cream: a combination of dairy added the perfect balance of fluffiness and richness. The sour cream adds a beautiful depth of flavour and creates a soft, moist crumb.
- Both baking soda and baking powder: baking powder and egg whites are the key leaveners in this recipe. The baking soda is added primarily to tone down the tang of the sour cream for a perfectly subtle dairy cream flavour. The acid in the sour cream is neutralized by the alkaline baking soda (and this reaction creates rise) but there isn’t enough acid in the recipe to make that the only leavening.
As always, keep in mind that room-temperature eggs, milk and sour cream bake more evenly in the oven and have a better rise. See my article here on how to quickly bring ingredients to room temperature.
Caramel Ripple Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ cup oil I use avocado oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups peeled and finely diced apple
- 1 cup jarred caramel or dulce de leche
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream divided use
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 6-cup (8-1/2 x 4-1/2" or 9 x 5") loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2" overhang.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, sour cream, milk and egg.
- Add oil mixture to dry ingredients and gently incorporate using a rubber spatula until about 80% combined. Fold in chopped apple to finish combining. (You don't want to over-stir or the cake will be tougher).
- Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 190ºF (or golden brown and tops spring back when lightly touched). Transfer to wire rack to cool.
To assemble
- Poke holes about 3/4" apart all over the cooled cake using a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon. Wiggle it gently back and forth to make a bit more space inside for the caramel.
- Whisk 1/2 cup caramel with 1 tbsp whipping cream. Use a piping bag and round tip to fill the holes in the cake (or spoon it over top and use the chopstick again to push it in, but it won't be as rippled inside).
- Whip remaining cream with 3 tbsp cooled caramel. Spread over cake just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Jenn, this cake looks delicious. I must try this.🙂
I can’t believe dolce de leche is so easy to make!! I am trying this over the holidays 💯