Fall is the perfect season to cozy up and enjoy a slice of this scrumptious Salted Caramel Apple Cake. This moist made-from-scratch cake is packed with fresh apples and all real ingredients. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make. The salted caramel sauce comes together in just minutes on the stove top!
Fall has finally arrived in New England in all its regal splendor. Dazzling colors spill in every direction and if you’re lucky enough to be near a pond or lake, the reflections are Monet-like and magnificent. While I loved my years living in the south, I always longed for the vivid colors and crisp nights of a New England autumn.
Last night I slept with my bedroom windows cracked and it was cool when I woke up this morning.
Or should I say when I was woken up…
A blue-eyed little figure about three feet tall stole into my bedroom early early, climbs up on my bed and pulls the covers up under his chin. He faces me, locks eyes then exhales and giggles. His little ice cube feet press on my warm ones as he snuggles in for a cuddle.
His name is Hudson, he’s six years old and he’s a little love. He also has Down syndrome. And while he doesn’t have many words in his vocabulary, this little boy’s communication skills rival mine. So much love so freely given. I’ve told you before how he quietly tiptoes in in the morning, noiselessly shuts the door behind him. So happy to have me all to himself for just a few minutes.
So that’s how my day started out so beautifully. Hudson had breakfast and left for school on his little yellow school bus and then I baked this scrumptious Salted Caramel Apple Cake. The sweet aroma filling my kitchen was fall and fabulous.
This is one of the easiest cakes I’ve ever made. All the ingredients are mixed in one mixing bowl until just combined. The batter is very thick, even crumbly. (Don’t panic, that’s normal.) Bake for 50 – 60 minutes ’til cake is golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
FYI I experimented with a new kind of cooking oil in this recipe I recently discovered: coconut cooking oil. It’s different from regular coconut oil in that it stays liquid at room temperature. I found it on the shelf at my local health food store. There are many health benefits to coconut oil so I was thrilled that it worked well in this recipe. (Vegetable oil also works fine too.)
I had a lovely quiet morning baking until my failed attempt at making salted caramel sauce. And then another fail. Ouch. I just couldn’t get the consistency right. But then I tried this easy Caramel Sauce recipe from Chef Bobby Flay and I think it’s perfect with this cake. Rich and smooth and salted. Ooooeeee!!!! Perfection.
So Hudson got home from school today and first thing he spied the Salted Caramel Apple Cake on the cake platter just waiting. He went right over and started pointing. And I said “Do you want cake?” And very clearly he said “Cake!” So I cut him a big ‘ole slice.
And he was one. Very. Happy. Little. Boy.
Salted Caramel Apple Cake
Ingredients
Apple Cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup coconut cooking oil or vegetable oil
- 3 1/2 cups diced apples peeled first
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 beaten eggs
- optional: 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans I used pecans
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
Apple Cake
- Grease and flour a tube pan.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, self-rising flour and cinnamon until combined.
- Stir in beaten eggs, cooking oil and vanilla.
- Stir in diced apples (and optional nuts) until just combined.
- (Batter will be very thick, maybe even crumbly.)
- Spoon batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 50 - 60 minutes. (Check with cake tester at the 50 minute mark.)
- Remove from oven and let cool on a rack 20-30 minutes until warm.
- Loosen all edges including around the center tube with a sharp knife before turning out onto a cake platter.
Salted Caramel Sauce
- In a medium-sized sauce pan stir together 1/4 cup cold water and granulated sugar until combined.
- Set over medium-high heat on the stove top and cook 9 -11 minutes without stirring until mixture is a deep amber color.
- Start checking closely at the 8 minute mark.
- Meanwhile, warm heavy cream and butter together with sea salt in a small sauce pan over medium heat. (Absolutely do not boil.)
- When sugar and water mixture is a deep amber color, slowly whisk in the warm cream and butter mixture.
- Whisk over the heat until it's smooth a minute or two, then remove from the heat.
- Salted caramel sauce will thicken up as it cools.
- When sauce is still warm, spoon over apple cake and cascade down the sides.
- (Re-heating the caramel sauce will thin it.)
Notes
You may also like: Brick Street Chocolate Cake
Susie Mandel says
October 20, 2016 at 2:56 pmYou got me at “one mixing bowl…” Am I pathetic or what?!! This sounds delicious. Fall is my favorite time of year. For you to have some alone baking time and also alone time with sweet Hudson is a double blessing. He was one happy guy when you cut him that slice. ☺️
Sherry Case says
October 20, 2016 at 2:56 pmDecisions Decisions! Which do I make now that I read the Apple Cake recipe and the BrickStreet Chocolate cake recipe. I’m thinking both!!! LOL
Sound delicious and looks scrumptious..
Allie says
October 20, 2016 at 9:21 pmThanks so much Sherry, and choosing would be a hard decision. They’re both really excellent, dense cakes. And they’re very easy to bake too. Hope you get to bake both! So glad you dropped by!
Tracy says
October 20, 2016 at 3:36 pmThis is one beautiful looking cake! You may have some unexpected visitors after reading your blog today? I think you have another winner will on your hands! It really is easy to make isn’t it? What a great treat for your boys. Love, love, love!
Carina says
October 20, 2016 at 3:50 pmLooks yummy. And this looks like a cake that even I could handle making! I think I’ll give this one a go, feels right for the season… a treat for a cozy Saturday night at home. Loved your description of those morning moments. Really heartwarming. Take care. ????
Allie says
October 31, 2016 at 12:25 pmThank you so much Carina, I always love hearing from you. You truly appreciate the little things in life, which are often the most important. Hope you get to try this cake. And I love your emojis. Just sayin’! 🙂 xo
Liz says
October 20, 2016 at 3:58 pmI think this could be my new favorite dessert! I am a big fan of apple cakes, but with caramel sauce???? Heaven. I would be as thrilled as Hudson with a slice! You are blessed to have each other!!
Aunt Pinkie says
October 20, 2016 at 4:45 pmLooks and sounds fabulous# Wow!
Sissy says
October 20, 2016 at 6:14 pmWhat kind of apples do you use? This looks delicious!
Allie says
October 20, 2016 at 9:16 pmOh hey thanks Sissy! I used McIntosh but you could use any good baking apple like a Granny Smith or Cortland. Happy baking! 🙂
Anita says
October 20, 2016 at 9:31 pmThis recipe looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Kristen Chidsey says
October 21, 2016 at 7:54 amI wish I could be sitting on your porch in New England with you enjoying a big slice of this cake and a cup of hot coffee with a big sweater on-! I guess I have to settle for making this beautiful cake myself. Love it!
Allie says
October 22, 2016 at 12:46 pmI wish you could be here too, Kristen! It’s definitely feeling like fall today. I have a small screened-in porch with a beautiful view of the changing leaves on the towering oaks in the front and back yards. Coffee would be perfect with this. Let me know when you’re in NH, I’ll bake you a fresh Salted Caramel Apple Cake.
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says
October 21, 2016 at 9:42 amI can almost taste this cake! It looks really moist and delicious…an easy too!
Courtney says
October 21, 2016 at 10:22 amHow beautiful is this cake?! Oh my goodness, I can’t get over how delicious it looks!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
October 21, 2016 at 10:28 amI’d be one. very. happy. gal. if I could have a slice of this! I so love a dense cake, and am blown away by the texture of this one! I saw coconut cooking oil at Walmart yesterday – next time am there I need another bottle so I can try this! Aww loved hearing about your morning wake up call, Allie – that blue-eyed, 3 footer is quite the little chap! 🙂
I hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend, sweet friend!
Danae @ Recipe Runner says
October 21, 2016 at 10:30 amThat thick salted caramel looks amazing! It’s perfect on top of this pretty apple cake, wish I was eating a slice right now!
Karen says
October 21, 2016 at 3:36 pmSuch a sweet story! This cake looks delicious too. So dense with apples. Glad you found a foolproof caramel sauce too!
Erin says
October 21, 2016 at 11:29 pmLOVE!!! And why is caramel sauce so hard?? I am going to try this version! I love having a sweet treat waiting for my kids after a long day away. Nothing better. It seems very old fashioned and I just love it. 😉
Taylor Kiser says
October 21, 2016 at 11:30 pmLove the fall flavors of this cake! It would be perfect as a Thanksgiving dessert!
Marlene says
October 22, 2016 at 6:06 pmLovely cake! Could you use regular coconut oil, melted, as well? And perhaps make it in a bundt pan if it’s large enough?
Gail says
August 20, 2018 at 4:29 pmMarlene,
I am curious to see if you tried to bake this in a bundt pan and if it worked out for you?
Marlene says
August 21, 2018 at 3:53 pmI have not made it, Gail. Sorry!
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
October 23, 2016 at 9:49 amWow! I am so much in love with your cakes, Allie. And this is making me completely drool. I am sure this is gonna be my new favorite thing think this could be my new favor. Love apple and salted caramel. I WANT a huge piece of that beauty right away.
Bee Gianni says
October 23, 2016 at 6:21 pmThis cake looks wonderful. Can’t wait to sample it.
Heather Kinnaird says
October 25, 2016 at 10:49 amI sure could use a slice of this gorgeous cake with my morning coffee!
Tony says
October 25, 2016 at 7:29 pmSo I looked at this cake and battled myself . I just started a diet but was very tempted. It’s the salty caramel thing I found hard to resist. So I talked myself into cutting a small “piece of a piece” just to deal with the urge. One bite and I went back to finish the rest of the piece. So much for my will. Some things in life are just not worth passing by.
Allie says
October 26, 2016 at 9:51 amHey thanks Tony – glad you like it. I had a similar battle myself. I made three of these cakes in the last two weeks for various events and I really just had to get them OUT of the house. Too tempting.
Kathy says
October 25, 2016 at 10:24 pmWoooooooow! This looks aaaawesome, and loved your Hudson story… :o)
olivia @ livforcake says
October 31, 2016 at 12:13 pmThis cake looks and sounds perfectly delicious! Hudson sounds like the sweetest boy and I’m sure he was SO happy to have a slice of this waiting for him after school :).
Eva says
November 2, 2016 at 11:41 amJe m’imagine prend un morceaux de ton délicieux gâteau et le manger à côté de la cheminée avec une tasse de thé dans l’autre main. Moi aussi j’adore l’automne pour ça ! xx
Sue says
November 4, 2016 at 5:09 pmWow looks amazing I bake a cake for my Wednesday morning art group,suggested this one and got an immidiate response se , looks like I’m making it on Tuesday Wish me luck xx
Allie says
November 4, 2016 at 5:32 pmHi Sue – your art group is lucky to have you baking for them! The key to the thick caramel is to let it cool a lot before pouring it on. I put mine in the fridge for a little bit – 5- 10 minutes. Then I stirred it and waited a little longer. It was still warm, but thickening. Pour (or spoon it on as I did) when it’s still warm — but not too warm. That’s how I got it so thick for the photo. Wishing you all the luck in the world, happy baking — hope you and your friends love this cake! xo
sue atkinosn says
November 9, 2016 at 11:44 amThank you sorry for typos in last post, only just noticed. Well it was easy to make & the caramel worked perfectly, mine didn’t have the shiny appearance, it went matt as it cooled but tasted so good, I had to scrape the pan. My art friends loved it & took portions home for their husbands! I’m checking out your other recipes now for next week. The following 2 weeks I’ve told them to make their own cakes as I’m coming over to Florida for a holiday!!!
Allie says
November 9, 2016 at 9:06 pmHi Sue – so glad it was a hit with your art friends this morning. I’m not sure why the caramel wasn’t shiny — but caramel is funny like that. Has a mind of its own. So glad everyone loved it! Have a wonderful time in FL when you get there. 🙂
Marylou Wagster says
November 6, 2016 at 9:59 amHow many apples is 3 1/2 cups?
Vicky says
November 19, 2016 at 7:50 pmThis is one of those questions that might have you shaking your head as well as your readers. I would love to make this, but…we’re snow birds with no kids and rugrats around ,and it’s just too much for the two of us. I’m sure this could be halved easily, but how do you think this would bake up in a square pan?
Allie says
November 19, 2016 at 10:40 pmHi Vicky – Well I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. But my gut instinct is that it would work fine. I would def. try it in an 8 X 8″ square pan as opposed to a 9″, for the height. But I might not halve the streusel topping. I think it might be too skimpy if you do. If you decide to do it, would love to hear how it went, and I’m sure other readers will be interested too. Would love to hear about it – happy baking. (And Happy Thanksgiving!)
Allie says
November 19, 2016 at 10:43 pmAnd P.S. – you will definitely have to play with the baking time, it should be significantly less than for the full cake. I might start checking after 25 – 30 minutes or so.
Michelle James says
January 15, 2017 at 1:57 pmWish it was easier to pin it and it was provided on your page. Had to hunt in pinterest
http://pin.it/3ZR1gdG
Allie says
January 15, 2017 at 2:16 pmHey Michelle – Sorry for the hunt, thanks for the feedback. I have social media buttons including Pinterest on the left side of the site, wondering if they are not showing for you or if you can’t see them for some reason. If you click that Pinterest button — all the pinnable images on the page, including the official pin for the recipe on Pinterest should come up and you pin from there. What I have also done personally is install the Pinterest extension for Chrome in my browser and then I can go up to the browser at any time and pin any image on any page on the net. Would really like to know if you can’t see those social media buttons on the upper left of my site, because if you can’t, I’ve got to get that fixed ASAP. They’re visible to me, but hoping they’re visible to everyone. Thanks again for letting me know.
Lia says
August 20, 2018 at 7:32 pmMy caramel sauce never changed color following your directions so I remembered in the post that you said you used Bobby Flay’s recipe. I dumped out the clear sauce and tried it again, this time I went to Bobby’s recipe and following his recipe and it was PERFECT!! For other readers, both times given in this recipe for the caramel sauce has been altered from Bobby’s recipe. And for me and my oven it made a world of difference in the outcome. Thanks for posting a great cake recipe and sharing where you go the caramel recipe! Wonderful!!