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a slice of caramel apple cake on a plate.
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5 from 1 vote

Caramel Apple Cake

Filled with fresh chunks of tart apple and glazed with a delicious homemade caramel with a touch of salt, this beautiful Caramel Apple Cake is a real treat! Just imagine all the flavors of an old-fashioned caramel apple baked into a moist and tender cake that is really easy to make.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24
Calories: 259kcal

Ingredients

Cake

  • cups vegetable oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • cup apples such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup pecans chopped

Caramel Glaze

  • ¾ cup butter salted
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans or a 12 cup tube pan.
  • Add the oil, sugar and eggs to the bowl of your mixer and mix using the whisk attachment until creamy.
  • In another medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl with the oil and eggs and mix well until no more flour can be seen. Mix in the vanilla.
  • Fold in the chopped apples and pecans.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans or tube pan. Transfer the loaf pans to the oven and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for about 5 minutes in the loaf pans than transfer to a plate.
  • In a small saucepan add the butter and melt over low heat. Add the brown sugar and milk and bring to a boil over low heat while stirring constantly. Continue simmering for 10 minutes then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
  • Let the caramel cool for about 5 minutes then pour over the warm cakes. Slice and serve.

Notes

  1. Recipe makes 2 cakes in a loaf pans or a large tube pan.
  2. Use room temperature eggs. This helps the batter to emulsify and properly come together to create the best texture. So I always suggest taking the eggs out of the fridge a couple of hours before starting the recipe.
  3. Don’t overmix the batter. It’s really important to fully incorporate the dry ingredients by gently mixing them in at low speed and then folding in the nuts and apples. 
  4. Grease the pan well. You do not want your cake to stick. So do not skimp on how much you grease the pan and do generously dust with flour as well. 
  5. Let it cool. Be sure to give the caramel apple cake about 5 to 10 minutes to cool in the pan before attempting to turn it out onto a plate. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg