This recipe for caramel apple cake is packed with spicy apples and topped with a decadent caramel glaze. All your apple cake dreams come true!
Apples, cinnamon, walnuts, cake, caramel glaze. That’s all I have to say, right? I have you at those four items and hello? This recipe certainly had ME at hello.
I found it in the Costco Connection magazine, which just goes to show you that Costco does, indeed, have everything that anyone could possibly want, including a fabulous recipe for a rich, tender, sweet apple cake that will make your whole kitchen smell like a happy autumn day.
I should warn you that like most things associated with Costco, this is not only wonderful but, well, LARGE. Which is not at all a bad thing in terms of making friends…I sent the generous Southern husband into work with a lot of it the next day, and he said it was a big hit. The cake part is lovely — moist and sweet and packed with apples. But let’s face it…the captivating part of this particular baby is the caramel glaze.
When you are done with the cake and it has cooled a bit, you make the glaze (out of butter and sugar and cream — are you panting yet?)…but wait, it gets better. Before you pour the glaze over the cake, you take a skewer and you poke holes all over the top of the cake, so that when you pour the glaze over it, not only does it coat the top of the cake, but it also sinks down into the middle of the cake via all those little holes.
I know, it’s almost too much to think about without fainting. Caramel Apple Cake. Go make some!
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Caramel Apple Cake
Yield: 12-16 1x
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This recipe for caramel apple cake is packed with spicy apples and topped with a decadent caramel glaze. All your apple cake dreams come true!
Ingredients
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 and butter and flour a 13×9 inch baking pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of granulated sugar and the vegetable oil. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Stir in the apples, nuts and vanilla and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool while you prepare the glaze.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small pot over medium low heat. Add 1/4 cup each of brown and granulated sugar along with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and stir for two minutes.
- Turn the heat up to medium high, pour in the cream and simmer for 2 more minutes.
- Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a skewer or a toothpick and pour the glaze over the top. Let it settle for a few minutes and serve!
Adapted from Costco Connection magazine
Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN! My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too. Let’s cook together!
This recipe couldn't have come at a better time. I have some cream and 4 – count them 4 – Granny Smith apples in the fridge and they need to be used soon. Guess what I'll be baking tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe. It looks outstanding.
One question – the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups oil but the directions say to beat both sugars and butter . . . Did you use oil or butter? Thanks for the clarification!
Mmmmmmmmm delicious! I guess Costco does have it all:) I love the glaze on top of this cake…it's calling me name!
Hi Oklahoma Granny and thanks for catching that! I did use oil, not butter, and I've fixed both the post and the clickable recipe. (I have to stop typing these things out late at night!!) Have fun making it — it's a great one!
This is a GREAT recipe,I made it friday.I am surprised Costco did not credit the recipe to the author,Edna Lewis.
Thanks for letting me know that part — I didn't know about the author either. So thank you to Edna for this wonderful recipe!
this is very, VERY similar to a apple cake recipe that i know and love. i'm on quite the apple-cake-kick these days, and i shall be adding this one to my repertoire–it's stunning. :)
This looks delicious! Have you tried using different types of apples when making this recipe?
I have only made it the one time with the Granny Smiths, but I think any very firm and crisp apple would do. I wouldn't try it with the softer versions (like Macintoshs) because you want the apples to hold their shape while cooking. Happy baking!!
I made this last night and it was fantastic. I got rave reviews. I used a mix of apples (Jonagold, Empire, and one unidentified leftover apple) and it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Looks delightful. Apple cakes speak fall! and winter, or spring, or….summer! Love them!
omgosh yum!
I cannot even begin to describe how great this looks! (And smells in my mind's nostrils. haha.)
I'm definitely going to make this. If I blog about it, I'll definitely be crediting you and letting you know.
Let me share this cinnamon apple cake with you.
Ingredients
* 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
* 1/2 cup stick margarine, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
* 2 large eggs
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large)
* Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.
Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.
Serving is for 12 people.
Where is the Glaze recipe that goes on top of the cake after it’s baked?
If you click on the link to the Costco recipe, it’s on the right hand side.
as the glaze is on the cake in the photo, I thought it was the caramel part of the cake, bit disappointed thats you have to click another link, pain in the bum if you want to print recipe off!
I’ve added a printable that includes the glaze – hope that helps!
Wonderful cake, Baked it for the weekend and the family loved it.
Just a quick comment, thought:
When making the caramel glaze, at first I’ve made it according to your directions and all I got was fried sugars. In my experience when creating a caramel one should melt the sugars first, with or without some water on a low to medium heat, and only when it melts and starting to colorize you add the butter first and then the cream. I would also recommend using a large saucepan for that – when adding the cream the caramel tends to triple in volume while bubbling and you really don’t what to candy coat your stove top :-)
Thanks again for the post, loved it!
Hi Avi, and thanks for the suggestions. My glaze came out okay, but I’m sure others on this post will be happy to have an alternate version. And thanks for your sweet words about the post! :)
No directions for this cake on this site as mentioned on Yummily
I have signed up now I am on Costco but directions are teeny weeny
Does anyone have enlarged directions they can offer?
I would love to make this cake but its taking me longer following links and getting the directions
Happy to hear its being enjoyed cant wait to make it
Hi Nicole! I’ve added a printable recipe to this post – hope that helps!