Paula Deen Caramel Apple Spice Cake

Paula Deen Caramel Apple Spice Cake is a 13x9 sheet cake with chopped Gala apples, cinnamon, and caramel sauce baked into the batter. It takes about 80 minutes from start to finish and feeds 12. This is the kind of cake that shows up at fall potlucks and comes home as an empty pan.

The difference between this cake and every other apple spice cake is the batter. Paula stirs ¾ cup of caramel sauce right into it. That gives the crumb a sticky, toffee-like sweetness that cinnamon and apples on their own cannot match. Unsweetened applesauce keeps things moist without weighing it down.

Get your eggs, buttermilk, and cream cheese to room temperature before you start. Cold ingredients will leave lumps in the batter and frosting. Fold the chopped apples in last by hand so you do not break them down. The cake keeps well in the fridge for up to three days.

Paula Deen Caramel Apple Spice Cake

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Medium

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

55

minutes

Calories

895

kcal

A moist, tender sheet cake made by beating caramel sauce and unsweetened applesauce into the batter along with chopped Gala apples and cinnamon. Topped with a thick cream cheese frosting and a drizzle of caramel.

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
  

• 1½ cups granulated sugar
  

• ¾ cup Canola oil
  

• ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
  

• ¾ cup prepared caramel sauce, plus more for serving
  

• 3 large eggs, room temperature
  

• 3¾ cups All-purpose flour
  

• 1 tablespoon baking powder
  

• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  

• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  

• 1½ cups whole buttermilk, room temperature
  

• 2 medium Gala apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

• For the Frosting:
  

• 1½ (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  

• 6 cups Confectioners’ sugar
  

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• For the Cake:
• Preheat and prep: Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with baking spray with flour.
• Mix wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat granulated sugar and oil at medium speed until well combined. Beat in applesauce and caramel. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Combine and fold: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Using a spatula, fold in apples, scraping bottom and sides of bowl. Spread batter in prepared pan.
• Bake: Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched in center and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
• For the Frosting:
• Frost and finish: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, and beat at high speed for 1 minute. Spread frosting onto cake. Spoon desired amount caramel sauce onto frosting, and gently swirl into frosting using an offset spatula. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Tools for this recipe

• KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer, Pyrex 9x13 glass baking dish, Wilton 9-inch angled spatula, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use a different apple instead of Gala?

Any firm, sweet apple works. Honeycrisp and Fuji hold their shape well during baking. Avoid Granny Smith here because the tartness fights with the caramel sauce. Red Delicious gets too soft and turns to mush in the batter.

How long does this cake last in the fridge?

It keeps for up to three days covered in the refrigerator. The cream cheese frosting needs cold storage, so do not leave it on the counter. Pull it out about 30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens back up.

Can I bake the cake a day ahead and frost it later?

Yes. Bake the cake, let it cool completely, then wrap the pan tightly and leave it at room temperature overnight. Make the frosting the next day and spread it on right before serving. The caramel swirl looks best when it is fresh.

Why did my cake sink in the middle?

Overmixing the batter after adding the flour is the most common reason. Mix on low speed and stop as soon as the streaks of flour disappear. Opening the oven door before the 45-minute mark can also cause it to fall.

Do I need to cook the caramel sauce before adding it to the batter?

No. Use prepared caramel sauce straight from the jar. It dissolves into the batter during mixing and bakes into the crumb. Making your own from scratch works too, but let it cool to room temperature first or it will partially cook the eggs.