Caramel Apple Cake Recipe – Moist, Easy & Covered in Caramel

This caramel apple cake recipe is exactly what it sounds like: a moist, easy cake studded with cinnamon-coated apples and finished with a warm, buttery caramel glaze poured right over the top. It bakes in a single 9 × 13-inch pan, so there’s no layering or frosting technique involved — just a straightforward batter and a glaze you make while the cake cools.

Caramel Apple Cake Recipe

Diced apples get tossed in a bit of the flour mixture before they go into the batter, which keeps them tender and evenly distributed rather than sinking to the bottom. Sour cream keeps the crumb soft, cinnamon runs through the batter itself, and the caramel glaze — butter, brown sugar, and cream cooked together — is what ties the whole cake together.

The finished cake should be soft and tender, with small pieces of apple throughout rather than a mushy texture. The glaze goes on while the cake is still slightly warm, so it soaks in a little at the edges while staying glossy and pourable across the top.

What Makes This Caramel Apple Cake Work

The apples are diced small — about 1/2-inch pieces — and tossed in a spoonful of the flour mixture before they’re folded into the batter. That light flour coating gives the apple pieces something to grip onto as the cake rises, which is what keeps them suspended through the crumb instead of settling in a wet layer at the bottom of the pan.

Sour cream does similar work to the apples in a different way: it adds moisture to the batter without thinning it out, which is part of why the crumb stays soft instead of turning dry once the cake cools.

The caramel glaze is simple on purpose — butter and brown sugar melted together, simmered briefly, then finished with cream, vanilla, and salt. Letting it cool for a couple of minutes before pouring lets it thicken just enough to coat the top of the cake and drift partway down the sides, rather than running off completely.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the cake

• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk
• 2 cups (about 300 g) peeled, cored, and diced apples, cut into about 1/2-inch pieces

For the caramel glaze

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

A few notes on ingredients:

• Apples: Firm baking apples hold their shape better than soft, mealy ones. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Braeburn all work well here; apples like Red Delicious or Gala tend to break down and turn mushy in the oven.
• Butter: Make sure it’s genuinely softened for the cake batter, not melted — it needs to trap air when creamed with the sugars.
• Eggs: Room-temperature eggs incorporate more smoothly into the creamed butter than cold ones.

How to Make Caramel Apple Cake

Step 1: Prepare the pan and oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper if desired.

Step 2: Prepare the dry ingredients and apples. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, toss the diced apples with 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture to lightly coat them.

Step 3: Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until lighter and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4: Add the eggs and wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla and sour cream. Add the milk and mix until combined.

Step 5: Make the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold gently with a rubber spatula just until the flour is mostly incorporated. Do not overmix.

Step 6: Fold in the apples. Gently fold the diced apples into the batter until they’re evenly distributed.

Step 7: Fill the pan and bake. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 42 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.

Step 8: Cool the cake. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. It should still be slightly warm but no longer hot before adding the caramel glaze.

Step 9: Make the caramel glaze. Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth.

Step 10: Glaze and serve. Let the caramel glaze cool for 2 to 3 minutes so it thickens slightly, then pour it evenly over the warm cake. Let the glaze settle for several minutes before slicing and serving.

Tips for Success

• Dice the apples evenly. Pieces that are roughly the same size — about 1/2 inch — bake at the same rate, so you don’t end up with some pieces still firm and others turned to mush.
• Don’t skip tossing the apples in flour. It’s a small step that makes a real difference in how evenly the apples sit through the finished cake.
• Stop mixing once the flour disappears. Overmixing after the dry ingredients go in is the most common reason a cake like this turns dense instead of tender.
• Let the glaze cool briefly before pouring. Pouring it straight off the heat means it will run off the cake instead of coating it; a couple of minutes off the heat is enough for it to thicken to the right consistency.

Serving and Storage

Slice and serve the cake once the glaze has had a few minutes to settle — it’s good on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Because of the cream in the caramel glaze, the cake is best kept covered at room temperature for about a day; after that, refrigerate it to keep the glaze and cake fresh, and let slices sit out briefly before serving so the caramel isn’t cold and stiff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different type of apple?

Yes. Firm apples that hold their shape during baking work best — Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Braeburn are all good choices. Softer varieties like Red Delicious or Gala tend to turn mushy in the oven.

Why do apples sometimes sink to the bottom of a cake, and how does this recipe avoid it?

Apples are heavier than the batter around them, so without something to help anchor them, they can settle toward the bottom before the cake sets. Tossing the diced apples in flour before folding them in gives them something to grip onto in the batter, which is what keeps them distributed through the cake instead of sinking.

How do I know when the cake is done?

Look for a golden top and check the center with a toothpick — it’s ready when the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.

Do I need to refrigerate this cake?

Because the caramel glaze is made with cream, it’s a good idea to refrigerate the cake after the first day at room temperature, then let slices warm up briefly before serving.

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