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Layer Cakes

Baked Apple Caramel Cake

by Natpicha

Baked apple caramel cake covered in caramel buttercream with toasted sliced almonds around the sides

5.0 (224)out of 5, 224 ratings

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Prep
1 hr
Bake
1 hr
Total
2 hr
Makes
12 servings
While this baked apple caramel cake is in the oven, the most heavenly scents drift through the house, and you'll want to stay wrapped up in all those Christmassy aromas forever. The cake is made of a moist apple sponge, crème pâtissière and a cinnamon apple filling topped with marzipan. Everything is wrapped in a delicious caramel Swiss meringue buttercream and coated with sliced almonds.

Ingredients

Makes 12 servings

Cake:

  • 3 sticks340 gunsalted butterGerman butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter; European-style unsalted butter is closest. In the UK use unsalted butter.
  • 2 ¼ cups285 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • 1 ½ tspbaking powderGerman baking powder is sold in 15 g packets, each meant for about 500 g (4 cups) of flour. In the US and the UK use baking powder, 1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp per 15 g packet.
  • 1 ½ tspbaking sodaSodium bicarbonate, used as a leavening agent. In the US use baking soda; in the UK, bicarbonate of soda.
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 2 tspground cinnamon
  • ¾ cup150 ggranulated sugar
  • ¾ cup160 glight brown sugarPacked. In German recipes this is usually light brown cane sugar, a little drier than American brown sugar. In the US use light brown sugar; in the UK, light brown soft sugar.
  • 4200 glarge eggsabout 4 eggs
  • 1 tbspvanilla bean paste
  • 10 ½ oz300 ggrated apples

Caramel:

  • 1 cup plus 1 tbsp220 ggranulated sugar
  • ½ cup plus 2 tbsp150 mlheavy creamGerman cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).
  • 1 tbsp15 gunsalted butter
  • 1 pinchsea saltcoarse

Crème pâtissière:

  • 4 tbsp35 gcornstarchStarch for thickening creams and lightening cakes; in German recipes this means cornstarch unless stated otherwise. In the US use cornstarch; in the UK, cornflour.
  • ½ cup100 ggranulated sugar
  • 2egg yolks
  • 2 cups500 mlmilk
  • 1 tspvanilla bean paste

Caramel Swiss meringue buttercream:

  • ½ cup120 gegg whitesabout 4 large egg whites
  • 6 tbsp80 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 1 stick plus 6 tbsp200 gunsalted butterat room temperature and soft!
  • ½ tspvanilla bean paste
  • caramel

Cinnamon apple filling:

  • 7 oz200 gapples
  • ½ cup120 mlwater
  • ¼ cup50 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 tspground cinnamon
  • 2 ½ tbsp20 gcornstarch
  • 2 tbsp25 ggranulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp30 mlwater
  • 3 ½ oz100 gmarzipanA sweet almond and sugar paste. In the US and the UK use marzipan.

Decoration:

  • 2 ⅓ cups200 gsliced almondsThinly sliced almonds. In the US use sliced almonds; in the UK, flaked almonds.

Optional decoration:

  • 5 ¼ oz150 gmarzipan
  • apple
  • cinnamon sticks
  • speculoos spiceA spice blend for spiced Christmas cookies, mainly cinnamon with cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and ginger. In the US use speculoos spice, or cinnamon with a little ground cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and ginger; in the UK, speculoos spice, or mixed spice with extra cinnamon and a pinch of cardamom.

Method

Cake:

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low to medium heat and let it simmer until the milk solids turn brown and settle on the bottom of the pan. The melted butter will start to smell very nutty and should be golden brown.

  2. Pour the brown butter through a fine sieve and let it cool a little.

  3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a bowl and set aside.

  4. Core and peel the apples, then grate them.

  5. In a large bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs and vanilla bean paste.

  6. Add the slightly cooled brown butter to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk well.

  7. Add the sifted dry ingredients and stir to combine.

  8. Finally, fold in the grated apples.

  9. Line the bottom of a 9-inch (22 cm) cake ring with parchment paper and pour in the batter.

  10. Bake at 350°F (170°C) conventional (top and bottom heat) for about 1 hour.

  11. Let the cake cool on a wire rack, covered with a kitchen towel.

  12. Once the cake has cooled completely, cut it into 3 even layers.

Caramel:

  1. Melt the sugar in a saucepan over low heat.

  2. Warm the cream in the microwave.

  3. As soon as the sugar has melted and caramelized, take the pan off the heat right away and add the warm cream while stirring constantly.

  4. Careful! The caramel bubbles up a lot when you add the cream.

  5. Then add the cold butter and stir until smooth.

  6. Add the pinch of sea salt and let the caramel chill in the fridge.

Crème pâtissière:

  1. Whisk together the cornstarch, sugar and egg yolks.

  2. Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla bean paste.

  3. Once the milk has come to a boil, add 2 to 3 small ladles of the hot milk to the egg mixture while stirring constantly.

  4. Pour the now warmed egg and milk mixture back into the rest of the boiled milk.

  5. Bring everything to a boil again over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture thickens, the crème pâtissière is ready.

  6. Now place the first cake layer in a cake ring for filling.

  7. Spread the crème pâtissière over the first layer while it is still hot and smooth it out.

  8. Place the second layer on top and chill in the fridge for 2 hours so the cream sets.

Caramel Swiss meringue buttercream:

  1. Heat the egg whites and sugar over a water bath until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches 158°F (70°C).

  2. Then whip the egg white mixture with the pinch of salt in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until it has cooled, is glossy and holds stiff peaks.

  3. With the mixer running, add the soft butter piece by piece and mix well.

  4. Once all the butter is in, add about 3 to 4 tbsp of the chilled caramel and mix thoroughly.

Cinnamon apple filling:

  1. Core, peel and dice the apples.

  2. Bring ½ cup (120 ml) water, ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, the cinnamon and the apples to a boil in a saucepan.

  3. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar and 2 tbsp (30 ml) water and add to the boiling apples.

  4. Stir constantly until the apple filling starts to thicken.

  5. Then take it off the heat and let it cool briefly.

  6. Take the cake out of the fridge and pipe a ring of buttercream onto the second layer.

  7. Then fill it with the cooled cinnamon apple filling.

  8. Tear off small pieces of marzipan and scatter them over the filling.

  9. Place the last layer on top and chill for at least 1 hour.

  10. Cover the cake with a thin layer of the caramel Swiss meringue buttercream and chill again for 20 to 30 minutes.

Decoration:

  1. Toast the sliced almonds in a skillet over low to medium heat and let them cool completely.

  2. Spread another thin layer of caramel buttercream over the cake.

  3. Then cover the sides of the cake with the sliced almonds.

  4. Spread the remaining caramel over the top of the cake.

  5. Finally, decorate the cake as you like with marzipan, apples, cinnamon sticks and speculoos spice.