This warm Sticky Caramel Apple Spice Cake is buttery soft, packed with tender apples and comforting spices, and topped with a gooey cinnamon caramel topping! Delicious served while still warm with ice cream!
Recipe photos and blogpost updated October 13, 2023.
This recipe was inspired by a rhubarb caramel cake that my mom has made for years. I will have to share that recipe one day, but for now, this is a gooey delicious caramel-topped apple cake! You pour the hot caramel topping on while the cake is still hot and put it back in the oven for a few minutes until the caramel is bubbly. It's SO good!
Like my Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, this recipe also makes an entire 9x13-inch cake - perfect for entertaining or sharing! If you are looking for more dessert recipes to feed a crowd, try my Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting or Brownie Cheesecake Cupcakes.
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Apple spice goodness. This cake is full of warm and delicious flavours of apple, spices, and caramel.
- Can feed a crowd. An entire 9X13-inch cake is perfect for sharing! (Or not!)
- Amazing served warm out of the oven. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, of course!
🧈 Ingredients
These are the ingredients needed to make this caramel apple cake.
For the Cake
- Salted Butter - Butter is used for a flavourful and soft cake.
- White Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Sour Cream - Help make the cake super moist and tender.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda - Alkaline baking soda works with the acidity of the sour cream to make the cake fluffy.
- Cinnamon - Apples and cinnamon go together so well!
- Allspice - Often paired with apples.
- Apples - Peel and chop the apples thinly for the best texture.
For the Caramel Topping
- Salted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Whipping Cream
- Cinnamon
See the recipe card for measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Cream together the butter and white sugar.
Step 2: Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream.
Step 3: Cream until smooth.
Step 4: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice.
Step 5: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of the combined wet ingredients.
Step 6: Blend on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix!
Step 7: Add the peeled and chopped apples.
Step 8: Fold until combined.
Step 9: Spread the batter into a greased 9X13-inch cake pan.
Step 10: Bake until golden.
Step 11: Boil the butter, brown sugar, whipping cream, and cinnamon together in a saucepan for 2-3 minutes.
Step 12: Pour the caramel topping over the still-hot cake.
Step 13: Put the cake back into the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the caramel is bubbly.
📝 Substitutions
Most of the ingredients in this recipe cannot be substituted, but here are some possible substitutions.
- Salted Butter - If you don't have salted butter, unsalted can be used in its place. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt for each ½ cup of butter.
- Sour Cream - Plain yogurt can be used in place of sour cream.
- Allspice - Cloves can be used in place of cloves in this recipe.
❄️ Storage
Store the cake covered at room temperature (once fully cooled) for 2-3 days.
❓ FAQ
Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, or Ambrosia are all good apples for baking.
I have not tested this recipe using gluten-free flour, but I would love to know if you try it!
🍎 More Apple Recipes
Looking for other apple recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Sticky Caramel Apple Spice Cake or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Sticky Caramel Apple Spice Cake
Equipment
- 9X13-inch pan
- non-stick cooking spray
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- electric handheld mixer
- medium-size saucepan
- whisk
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 cups apples peeled and chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, cream together butter and white sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and sour ream and continue beating.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined. Fold in the apples.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven but leave the oven on at 350ºF.
- In a small pot stir together the butter, brown sugar, whipping cream, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium heat and let boil for 2-3 minutes whisking constantly.
- Pour caramel sauce over the hot cake and place the cake back in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce starts to bubble.
- Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes or until ready to serve. Best served while still warm with ice cream. Enjoy!
Lieya
So great again! I halved the sugar because I just like things less sweet than more, and it still worked amazingly! Now our Bible Study is really into it! Great recipe!
Leah
Yum! I'm making this for a Collage&Career game night at our church. Thanks so much!
Naomi
Thank you so much for making it, Leah! Enjoy!