The Best Caramel Apple Spice Cake Recipe
This Caramel Apple Spice Cake recipe combines grated apples, warm fall spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and a rich, buttery caramel sauce for a moist, flavorful cake. The applesauce and brown sugar add moisture, while the homemade caramel sauce drizzled on top makes it irresistibly decadent.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup applesauce
- 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and grated or finely chopped
Caramel Sauce Ingredients:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla and applesauce.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fold in the grated apples.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
- For the caramel sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and heavy cream, bringing to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt.
- Drizzle warm caramel sauce over the cooled cake and serve.
Notes
- Use tart apples like Granny Smith for a balanced flavor.
- For extra caramel flavor, serve with additional caramel sauce on the side.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 220mg