This delicious Caramel Apple Cake boasts a light and fluffy cake beneath a sweet caramel apple layer, smothered in a whipped topping and crunchy toffee bits! This cake is so easy to whip up, and to make it even easier you can use a boxed cake. The caramel apple mixture is made on the stovetop so you don’t have to worry about the moisture soaking into your cake either!
Why You’ll Love This Caramel Apple Cake
There’s no better flavor combo – especially in the fall – than caramel apples, but I don’t always want to eat them in their sticky and messy form. I’ve gotten creative over the years with Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars, Caramel Apple Pecan Cake, and even Caramel Apple Sangria for the adults! I’ve also been known to have a jar of Salted Caramel Sauce on hand to add to ice cream, coffee, or… pretty much anything.
With today’s Caramel Apple Cake, I sort of went back to basics and whipped up some chopped caramel apples on the stovetop to add to a light and fluffy vanilla cake. This dessert is perfect because it’s not super rich, but it’ll most definitely cure your sweet tooth.
Top your cake with creamy whipped topping and some crunchy toffee bites to balance out all the flavors and textures. You and your family are going to love making this every year as soon as the chillier fall weather hits!
More Caramel Desserts You’ll Love
- Caramel S’mores Dip
- Banana Pecan Scones with Caramel Icing
- Carmelita Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars
- Peanut Butter Caramel Brownies
- Caramel Pretzel Sticks
- And those recipes just scratch the surface! Check out our desserts section for more delicious caramel treats.
Ingredients
This recipe is broken into three sections: cake, caramel apples, and toppings. Here are the ingredients for each part of the recipe, but take note of the exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Vanilla Cake Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Butter
- Milk
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Vanilla
Note: This cake is pretty darn easy to make, but if you’re short on time you can just use a white or yello boxed cake!
Caramel Apple Ingredients
- Chopped apples
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Heavy cream (or half and half)
- Salt
- Vanilla
Cake Toppings
- Whipped topping
- Toffee bits
How to Make Cake Topped with Caramel Apples
Step 1: Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan. Set it aside for later.
- In a large bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix on low for 30 seconds, then high for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl occasionally to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the cake aside to cool.
Step 2: Make the Caramel Apple Mixture
- While the cake is baking, combine the chopped apples and butter in a large skillet.
- Saute on medium-low for 10 minutes, or until they start to soften.
- Add in the brown sugar, cream, and salt.
- Cook on medium-low, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until the apples are tender.
- Stir in the vanilla and remove the apples from heat.
- Cool for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Assemble the Cake with Toppings
- Pour the caramel apples over the baked cake and spread them in an even layer. Allow the topping to cool completely.
- After the cake and apples have completely cooled, top them with the whipped topping and toffee bits.
- Enjoy!
FAQs
Typically, you’ll want to choose a sturdy apple that’ll hold up to baking like Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala, or Honey Crisp. In this recipe, it doesn’t matter as much because the apples are cooking on the stovetop and not within the cake batter. Any apple that’s in season will work, but I’ll still recommend Granny Smith and Honey Crisp as my top two!
They have a pretty similar taste because they’re both primarily made out of sugar, but caramel is softer because it’s pure sugar while toffee is made with sugar, butter, and flour. The flour is what gives toffee a crunchier texture. In this recipe we use both caramel and toffee because they’re used for different things – the caramel gives the apples the classic gooey caramel apple flavor, while the toffee balances out the soft and gooey textures with some crunch.
Store it in the fridge since there’s fruit in it. You can enjoy it for up to 3 days, but keep in mind that the moisture from the apples will start to permeate the cake and make it mushy over time. This cake doesn’t typically last enough to have leftovers, but if it does, you’ll get a couple good days of dessert out of it!
More Cake Recipes To Try
- Moist Gingerbread Cake Recipe
- Apple Crumb Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Poke Cake
- Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting
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Caramel Apple Cake
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 3 large eggs
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- Caramel Apples:
- 6 cups chopped apples
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Topping:
- 2 8 oz containers whipped topping
- 1/2 cup toffee bits
Instructions
- Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan, set aside.
- In a large bowl combine all cake ingredients and mix on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 3 minutes scraping the bowl occasionally.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
- Caramel Apples:
- While the cake is baking combine the chopped apples and butter in a large skillet and saute on medium low for 10 minutes or until they start to soften. Add in brown sugar, cream and salt. Cook on medium low stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until apples are tender. Stir in vanilla and remove from heat. Cool for 15 minutes.
- Pour over baked cake and spread apples in an even layer. Cool completely.
- After cake has cooled top with whipped topping and toffee bits. Store in refrigerator.
Notes
Congratulations. The two of you are great parents. Hope you are feeling better. All of us want the best for you. Love, Aunt Lori
Thank you so much, Aunt Lori!!
This cake is perfect to usher in fall! Whatever the gender, he/she, will be beautiful like the rest of them. Notice I said “he” first”. Just do what you can do, it is enough 🙂
Thank you so much! Yes a “He” would be nice! 🙂
CONGRATS!!! Another baby is always a blessing no matter what the number. You are not crazy!! Take it easy and rest up. The blog will be here when you are ready! Love this cake!
Thank you so much, Julie!! It really means a lot!
This cake looks wonderful for a Fall Dessert! I cannot wait to try it. Congratulations on Baby #7. We are also waiting on two babies. Adrianne will have hers around Nov 25th and Amanda around January 20th or so. Hope you are feeling much better very soon! Kerry
Congrats to you guys too! I didn’t even know Adrianne was expecting!! I saw on facebook about Amanda! So happy for all of you guys!!
I am anxiously awaiting to welcome grandbaby #9 and hope you soon will be feeling much better. (My grandson and his wife also have 2 little ones,) Always exciting to have new babies to cuddle and love. This cake sounds wonderful and will have to take it to our next pot luck at church. Love you all!!!!
Thank you so much Grandma, hope the cake goes well.
I am anxious to make the Caramel Apple Cake, it sound so good. Congrats on # 7! There is nothing sweeter than a new baby! God Bless you.
Thank you so much, Shirley!
Oh my gosh congrats!! How exciting!! I’m so happy for you. (And this cake? OMG!)
Thank you so much, Dorothy! It really means a lot!! 🙂