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    Apple Cinnamon Cake

    09/11/2018 by thebakingexplorer 26 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    When I think of Autumn and Winter food, apple and cinnamon is a combination that automatically comes to mind. They evoke feelings of being cosy and warm - which is very much needed at this time of year! I've made this Apple Cinnamon Cake with a moist apple sponge, a cinnamon buttercream and lashings of salted caramel sauce. It's a winter warmer in a cake!

    Apple Cinnamon Cake

    Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

    • Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
    • I used unsalted butter for the buttercream and for the cake I used a baking spread.
    • I really recommend using light brown soft sugar if you can, as it gives the cake a lovely caramel flavour. But if you can't get hold of it, you can use golden caster sugar or regular caster sugar (superfine sugar) instead.
    • If you need a caramel sauce recipe, try my Homemade Caramel Sauce.
    • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
    • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

    For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

    How to make Apple Cinnamon Cake

    To make the sponge, mix the butter and sugar together. The add the eggs, and whisk well.

    Mix in self raising flour, grated apple and cinnamon. Divide the mixture between three 8" tins and bake for 35-40 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. To make the buttercream, mix together butter, icing sugar, cinnamon, milk and vanilla until smooth.

    Stack up the sponges, pipe buttercream and drizzle caramel sauce between each layer. Finish the Apple Cinnamon Cake with more cinnamon buttercream on top, more salted caramel sauce and some chopped pecans in the centre.

    For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

    Apple Cinnamon Cake

    What caramel sauce should you use?

    My favourite caramel sauce to use is my Homemade Caramel Sauce, it's rich, smooth and absolutely divine! You can also easily add salt to it to make it into a salted caramel sauce. If you don't want to make your own, it's quite easy nowadays to find a good quality ready made caramel (or salted caramel) sauce in the shops or online. I have used Tesco's Finest, Bonn Maman and Carnation Caramel in the past with great results.

    How should the cake be stored and can it be frozen?

    The cake should be stored in an airtight container in a cool place and will last for 3 days. You can freeze the sponges either alone, or decorated. Once the sponges are fully cool, wrap them well with cling film or put them in an airtight container with some baking paper between them. You can freeze the buttercream on it’s own in a tub, or you can decorate the cake and freeze it fully assembled. To do this and avoid damage to the decoration, freeze it either in an airtight container. Or let it freeze solid on a cake board or plate, then wrap in cling film. Remove the cling film when you take it out to defrost it, if you don’t it could damage the decoration as it defrosts and softens. You can also freeze slices of the cake, again well wrapped in cling film or in airtight containers.

    Can you make the cake with plain/all purpose flour?

    Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 5 teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

    Can this recipe be made gluten or dairy free?

    Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additonal baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 5 teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¾ tsp Xantham Gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free milk for both the cake and buttercream. You will also need to use a dairy free caramel sauce.

    Can this cake be made in different size cake tins?

    Yes! If you would like to make this cake in different size tins, please check my Conversion Guide to find out how to adjust the recipe.


    What kind of apples should you use?

    I have used Bramley, Jazz and Pink Lady apples to make this cake, but any sweet eating apples will work.

    Apple Cinnamon Cake

    Troubleshooting

    If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

    Recommended equipment & ingredients*

    • 8" cake tins
    • Mixing bowls
    • Cooling rack
    • Kitchen scales
    • Piping bags
    • Electric hand mixer
    • Salted Caramel Sauce

    *I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

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    Apple Cinnamon Cake

    Apple Cinnamon Cake

    Apple cake with cinnamon buttercream, caramel sauce and pecans
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: European
    Keyword: Cake
    Prep Time: 1 hour hour
    Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 14
    Author: thebakingexplorer

    Ingredients

    For the sponge

    • 500 g Butter or baking spread softened, unsalted
    • 500 g Light brown soft sugar
    • 9 Eggs large
    • 300 g Cooking apples (about 3 apples) grated weight
    • 500 g Self raising flour
    • 2 tsp Cinnamon

    For the buttercream

    • 300 g Butter softened, unsalted
    • 600 g Icing sugar
    • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
    • 2-3 tbsp Milk
    • 2 tsp Cinnamon

    For the decoration

    • 85 g Salted Caramel sauce good quality shop bought or homemade
    • 75 g Pecans chopped
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark, and grease and line three 8 inch sandwich tins (that are at least 2" deep)
    • To make the sponge cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. ideally using an electric mixer
    • Add the eggs two or three at a time and whisk them in
    • Then whisk in the self raising flour, cinnamon and apples
    • Divide the mixture between the three sandwich tins, I like to weigh it out for accuracy so the layers are even
    • Bake them for around 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Then remove them from the tins carefully and let them cool completely on a cooling rack
    • To make the buttercream, mix together the butter and icing sugar, ideally using an electric mixer
    • When it starts to come together add the cinnamon, milk and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. You can add more milk if it is too stiff
    • Stack the sponges up on your plate or cake stand, piping buttercream between each layer and drizzling salted caramel sauce over the buttercream, letting it drip down the sides of the cake
    • When you get to the last layer, use a spatula to spread a little buttercream in the centre reaching almost to the edge but not quite, then pipe rosettes all around the edge
    • Add the chopped pecans in the centre, then drizzle over more salted caramel sauce
    • Serve immediately, store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days
    Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!

    Notes

    • Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
    • I used unsalted butter for the buttercream and for the cake I used a baking spread.
    • I really recommend using light brown soft sugar if you can, as it gives the cake a lovely caramel flavour. But if you can't get hold of it, you can use golden caster sugar or regular caster sugar (superfine sugar) instead.
    • If you need a caramel sauce recipe, try my Homemade Caramel Sauce.
    • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
    • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 895kcal | Carbohydrates: 107g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 228mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 79g | Vitamin A: 1595IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg

    If you like this, check out more of my Cake recipes!

    « Veggie Sausage, Cheese & Onion Muffins
    Chocolate Orange Fudge »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jacqui Bellefontaine

      November 09, 2018 at 1:05 pm

      5 stars
      Apple and cinnamon a regular flavour combo of mine but with salted caramel and pecan nuts now thats really spoiling us. Thank you for sharing this fabulous cake on #CookBlogShare

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:04 pm

        Thanks Jacqui!

        Reply
    2. Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder

      November 10, 2018 at 9:49 pm

      5 stars
      Winter warmer in a cake sounds good to me! Apple, cinnamon, salted caramel and pecans - that's just super indulgent combination, perfect for this time of year. I really like 3 tier cakes too! They make so much more of a statement! Beautiful! Thank you for sharing with #BakingCrumbs

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:04 pm

        I agree Jo, I love doing three tiers as it looks so much more showstopping!

        Reply
    3. Monika Dabrowski

      November 12, 2018 at 6:17 pm

      5 stars
      I can eat this flavour combination in anything, but it must be super delicious in a cake that looks as good as this!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:05 pm

        Thanks Monika! It was very yummy!

        Reply
    4. Alexord

      November 12, 2018 at 7:32 pm

      Love this

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:05 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
    5. Jenny walters

      November 13, 2018 at 10:37 am

      5 stars
      This is just such a stunning cake! It sounds heavenly too. A cake that sums up the best of Autumn baking if ever I saw one. Just beautiful. When you cook your sponges do you put all 3 in the same oven? Something I have always liked to ask?! Thanks so much for bringing this beauty to #FiestaFriday

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        November 13, 2018 at 2:06 pm

        Hi Jenny, thank you! Yes I put them all in the same oven. Two 8" tins fit on one shelf, and the third on another. My oven is a standard size so I think you'd be able to do this in most ovens.

        Reply
        • Jenny walters

          November 15, 2018 at 6:26 pm

          Ok thanks, I will be brave!

          Reply
    6. Cat | Curly's Cooking

      November 13, 2018 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      Such a big and beautiful looking cake. I love apple and cinnamon together.

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:06 pm

        Thanks Cat, me too!

        Reply
    7. Mayuri Patel

      November 13, 2018 at 4:19 pm

      5 stars
      Just can't my eyes off the drool worthy bake. So so tempting with that Carmel dripping on the sides and not to forget the apples and cinnamon.

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:06 pm

        Thanks Mayuri, I hope I've tempted you to try the recipe!

        Reply
    8. Rita

      November 14, 2018 at 6:46 pm

      5 stars
      Wow - like this cake.
      Fiesta Friday yaay!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:07 pm

        Thanks Rita!

        Reply
    9. Anca

      November 18, 2018 at 7:52 pm

      What a lovely cake. I like the flavours you've used, very Autumnal and delicious.

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:07 pm

        Thanks Anca!

        Reply
    10. Kiara

      November 18, 2018 at 10:19 pm

      I want to try this!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:08 pm

        I hope you give it a go!

        Reply
    11. Nickki

      November 26, 2018 at 11:40 am

      5 stars
      This cake is making me drool!! It honestly looks incredible! Cut me a big slice please ?

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        December 04, 2018 at 4:08 pm

        Thanks Nickki, of course I will! 😀

        Reply
    12. Saffron

      September 26, 2019 at 12:51 pm

      5 stars
      It is easy to cook

      Reply
    13. Jennie Forbes

      July 18, 2022 at 6:34 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely loved this recipe. I converted down to 3 x 6” tins and used pink lady apples (2). I didn’t pipe icing between layers so as not to make it too sweet. It turned out perfect!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        July 21, 2022 at 7:54 am

        Thanks so much for your lovely feedback Jennie!

        Reply

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