I grew up eating this apple cake. My mom made it for us every fall, after we went apple picking. I've loved it forever, but as I grew older and began to cook for a living I started to notice little things that I though could make it better. After playing around with the recipe and making a few updates, we have a modern-vintage cake. I hope that you love it as much as I do!

A vintage recipe with a little modern upgrade...

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Mom’s Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

  • Author: carolinefey
  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 45 min
  • Total Time: 1 hr & 15 min
  • Yield: 1 9x13" cake 1x

Description

If you aren’t an apple pie person, this recipe is for you. This is without a doubt THE BEST apple cake with salted caramel frosting and apple cider drizzle. It’s based on a 1970’s recipe from the back of my mom’s tattered and worn apple cookbook that has long been out of print. I gave the recipe a little 2021 refresh and it’s better than ever.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Cake:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or gf) – 335 grams
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup apple cider
  • 5 cups diced apples (about 1/2-inch dice)

Frosting:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Garnish:

  • 1 cup fresh apple cider, simmered until reduced to a syrup (about 3 tablespoons)
  • Flakey sea salt like Maldon

Instructions

Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Mix the dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk the sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla and cider together. Stir in the dry ingredients and then the apples. Pour into a buttered and floured 9×13″ pan or a 12″ round. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frosting:
Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has melted and is bubbling. Whisk in apple cider, salt and vanilla and turn off the heat. Cool for a few minutes before pouring into a bowl with the confectioners’ sugar. Whisk until smooth. When cake is cool, spread frosting over the top. Drizzle the cider reduction over the cake and sprinkle sea salt on top.


Notes

The sugars in this cake can brown more quickly. If the top of the cake is getting too dark and it’s not cooked through, cover loosely with tinfoil while baking.

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