Description
This Caramel Apple Cake features a super soft and moist vanilla brown sugar batter studded with tart cinnamon-spiced apples and finished with a luscious salted caramel drizzle. Perfect for fall, this easy-to-make dessert balances sweet and tart flavors with a delightful cinnamon-sugar topping and a rich caramel finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- ¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (145g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup (160ml) full fat plain yogurt
Apple Mixture
- 3 cups (300g) chopped tart apples (about 3 medium apples, cored, peeled, and cut into ½-inch cubes), divided
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Topping
- 1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- About 2 tablespoons caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade, for drizzling)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on each side for easy removal.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a separate medium bowl, beat the softened butter, dark brown sugar, and vanilla extract using an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
- Add Eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to maintain even mixing, and continue until the batter looks creamy.
- Combine Batter and Flour: Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined. Then, add the plain yogurt and mix to blend. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and gently fold it in, leaving a few streaks of flour for tenderness.
- Prepare Apples: Toss 3 cups of chopped apples with ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add 2 cups of this cinnamon apple mixture into the batter and fold gently to distribute.
- Assemble in Pan: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Scatter the remaining 1 cup of cinnamon-spiced apples over the top of the batter.
- Add Caramel Drizzle: Drizzle approximately 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce over the apples on top of the cake.
- Add Topping: In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon together. Sprinkle this cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top of the apples and caramel.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the cake from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Let it cool completely, at least 1 hour, using the parchment overhang to lift the cake out easily. Just before serving, drizzle with additional caramel sauce if desired.
Notes
- This cake is delightfully moist with a soft crumb from the yogurt and brown sugar, which pairs perfectly with the tart cinnamon-flavored apples.
- Use tart apple varieties like Granny Smith or Jonathan for the best contrast of flavors.
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free baking blend.
- Caramel sauce can be homemade or store-bought; salted caramel adds an extra layer of flavor complexity.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/9 of cake)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
