Caramel apple cake is a delicious fall dessert. Each slice has tender apple bits, hints of cinnamon and a drizzle of caramel when served! The german apple cake recipe is the best fresh caramel apple cake and requires only 10 minutes of prep work.
Hello, all! Haley here from If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen. As a native New Englander I am one of those people who welcomes fall with open arms. Fall means plenty of delicious seasonal recipes including this tasty caramel apple cake.
This was a somewhat new conquest in my kitchen. When I bake with apples, my mind doesn’t go to cake first. Pies, bars and crisp cross my mind before cake, but I wanted to try something a little out of the ordinary.
So I baked caramel apple cake – also sometimes called german apple cake since it’s made with chunks of fresh apples!
This cake is ridiculously good. From the overhead photo it almost looks like the dish could be for blondies, but it has a much lighter consistency than that. The golden brown color comes from the sugar and cinnamon flavoring the fresh apple cake.
Caramel apple cake recipe
To make caramel apple cake, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer), beat together eggs and vegatble oil on medium speed until smooth, about one minute. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture until just incorporated. It’s okay if there are a few bits of flour showing.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to stir in chopped apples. The batter will be thick because there are a lot of apples (this a great thing – trust me!)
Pour the batter into a greased 9X13 inch cake pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.
Each square of cake is tender thanks to the apples. During the baking process, the natural juices in the apples seep out into the cake and create an unbelievable flavor. Sweet, but not too sweet, blending perfectly with the cinnamon.
Rather than layering this cake with frosting, we drizzle homemade caramel sauce over the top. The sugar creates a slight crackly top, which is softened up with a drizzle of the homemade caramel.
We use our easy three ingredient caramel sauce for this cake. If you have never made caramel from scratch, I suggest giving it a try! You can store any leftovers in a jar in the fridge. Use it later for ice cream sundaes!
If you’re aching for some fall dessert, this fresh caramel apple cake is where it’s at. It’s the absolute best apple cake recipe. Cinnamon, caramel and applies create the perfect dessert to put you in the mood for fall!
Homemade apple dessert recipes
- Easy Apple Crisp Bars
- Loaded Apple Cider Bread
- Mom’s Homemade Apple Pie Recipe
- Apple Crumb Bars
- Apple Pie Cupcakes
- Apple Crisp
Caramel Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, (250 g)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil, (178 ml)
- 2 cups sugar, (400 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups peeled chopped apples, (300 g)
- 1 recipe homemade caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch cake pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat together eggs and vegetable oil on medium speed until smooth, about a minute. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture until just incorporated. It's okay if there are a few bits of flour showing.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a rubber spatula, stir in chopped apples. The batter will be very thick and there will be a lot of apples (that's a good thing!).
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and use the spatula to spread batter evenly. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with little crumbs on it. Allow cake to cool completely in pan.
- While cake cools, make the caramel sauce (or have it already prepared). I used the recipe that can be found here.
- Cut cake into 2-inch by 2-inch squares and serve with a drizzle of caramel.
Notes
- Caramel apple cake is best when eaten day of, but can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to three days.
Nutrition
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I don’t mean to sound ignorant, but is it self rising or all purpose flour? What type of apples? Thanks!
Use all purpose flour for this recipe. You can use any type of apples, but honey crisp, granny smith or another tart apple are great choices. Enjoy!
Can this cake be frozen?? I want yo make it but want to be able to freeze some.
We haven’t tried freezing this recipe. I don’t think I would recommend it due to the apples. It could result in a “wet texture” upon thawing due to the moisture retained in the apples. However, if you try it, let us know how it turns out.
That crackly top is what put this cake over the top–my family could not stop eating it!
I’m totally ready for all the caramel apple and pumpkin and cinnamon things, and this cake has my fall heart fluttering!
I like this recipe as it can be made with ingredients found at home and I don’t need to do any special shopping specifically to obtain them. The cake looks scrumptious and I love the caramel topping that adds a depth of flavor that goes so well with the apples and cinnamon.