Easy Salted Caramel Apple Cake

What would fall be without apples and caramel? This easy salted caramel apple cake has chopped apples in the batter, is topped with homemade salted caramel, and has a sprinkling of chopped pecans. 

I love to mix tart and sweet apples in this dessert! Sometimes, I pair Granny Smith apples with Honeycrisp, or I pair Pink Lady with Galas. All the apples are finely chopped, so they bake well into the finished cake. Two or three peeled and chopped apples will yield 2½ cups for this recipe. 

While the cake bakes, chop the nuts and make the caramel topping. Some recipes bake the nuts into the cake, while this recipe sprinkles them on top. However, if you like nuts cooked into the cake, add them to the batter when you add the chopped apples and leave them off the top. It also works fine if you want to omit the nuts altogether. 

The caramel topping is made on the stovetop and poured over the baked cake. Use a fork to poke holes in the top of the cake for the caramel to fill. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the caramel.

Easy Salted Caramel Apple Cake 

INGREDIENTS

Cake

• 2 ½ cups apples, peeled and chopped 
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
• ½ cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt

Topping

• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan and then dust it with flour, discarding the excess flour.
• Peel and finely chop the apples and place them into a bowl filled with water and lemon juice. This will help prevent the apples from browning. Set aside.
• Whisk the oil, applesauce, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk thoroughly until smooth.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Then, sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir to moisten the batter. Do not overmix.
• Drain the apples well and stir them into the batter, taking care not to over-stir. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If necessary, spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and place it over the baking cake to prevent over-browning. After cooking, use a fork to poke holes in the top of the cake.

Topping

• Toast the pecans by stirring them continuously in a dry skillet on medium heat. They will burn quickly, so remove them from the pan when they start browning. 
• Add the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt in a saucepan and stir over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil and then time for 2 minutes. Then, remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the hot cake.
• Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the topping.

SWEET AND SAVORY TIPS

• To quickly chop nuts, use an electric chopper and finely chop them. 
• Reduce the cooking time of the caramel to 1½ minutes to make a thinner syrup to pour over the cake.
• For a step-by-step photo guide to making Easy Salted Caramel Apple Cake, plus more delicious recipes and holiday entertainment tips, visit here.

Nutrition:

Serving: 180g Calories:592kcal Carbohydrates: 64g Protein: 5g Fat: 36g Saturated Fat:11g Polyunsaturated Fat:14g Monounsaturated Fat: 9g Trans Fat: 0.5g Cholesterol:79mg Sodium: 493mg Potassium: 121mg Fiber: 2gSugar: 38g Vitamin A: 477IU Vitamin C: 2mg Calcium: 76mgIron: 2mg