A dense vanilla flavored cake batter with apple slices nested and baked in the batter then topped with a salted caramel drizzle and toasted walnuts.

This Salted Caramel Apple Cake is the perfect fall treat with a dense cake that has apple slices baked right in. This easy recipe is topped with caramel sauce and toasted walnuts with a finishing touch of fleur de sel.

Overhead shot of a baked cake topped with caramel and walnuts on a green platter.

I make this lightly spiced apple cake recipe every fall as soon as the apple orchard is producing fresh apples. It makes a great special dessert for guests, or a fall birthday cake for that special someone.

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❤️ Why you'll love it
🥘 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
🍽 EQUIPMENT
🥫Storage
📖 Variations
💭 Tips
📚 Related Recipes
🍽 Serve with...
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love it

✔️ This decadent Salted Caramel Apple Cake will serve up to 12 people and makes a great birthday cake or Sunday dinner cake.

✔️ The cake batter bakes around the apples in the top of the cake and the salted caramel sauce nestles into any holes next to the apples.

✔️ It is a single layer scratch cake that will impress guests.

🥘 Ingredients

Toasted walnuts, see tip on how to quickly and effortlessly toast walnuts in the air fryer.

Grey sea salt, I love the packaging for these sea salts, and they last a long time as well.

Caramels, this is the brand of caramels I like to use. They also have these caramel bits that are easy to substitute (they don't need to be unwrapped).

Heavy cream, this is the ingredient that will smooth out and thin down the caramels.

Granulated sugar, room temperature butter, vanilla extract, and large eggs make the wet portion of the cake batter.

All purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt are whisked together and added to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream.

Sour cream is added alternately with the flour mixture to the wet batter.

A hand pressing an apple slice into the cake batter.

🔪 Instructions

For the cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan at least 2" deep; or a 9" springform pan.
In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the sugar, butter, and vanilla on medium high speed until smooth and creamy.
Add the eggs to the butter mixture 1 at a time. Beat till thoroughly combined.
In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Stir the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients alternately with the sour cream, using low speed on the mixer. The batter will be stiff.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula to even out as much as possible.

For the apple filling

Place the apple wedges in a medium bowl and add the sugar and cinnamon. Toss the apple mixture with the vanilla until apples are thoroughly coated.
Arrange apples on top of cake batter, pushing them into the batter gently so they're partially submerged.
Bake the cake for 65 minutes, till it's golden brown on top and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven, and turn it out onto a wire rack apple-side up. Cool completely.

For the salted caramel topping

Place the caramels and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the cream is showing bubbles, and the caramel is soft. Stir the caramel and cream until smooth. (I did this in 3-30 second intervals)
Spoon the caramel over the cooled cake, dripping it down into the crevices around the apples.
Scatter the walnuts on top. Sprinkle lightly with very coarse sea salt flakes if desired.

Baked cake in a red springform pan with the apple slices in a circle around the top of the cake.

🍽 EQUIPMENT

Electric Hand Mixer, this is the one I own.

Large mixing bowls, one for the dry mixture and one for the wet mixture.

Springform cake pan for easy release. I use one similar to this one.

🥫Storage

Store cake in an airtight container on the counter up to 4 days, in the fridge up to 1 week, and in the freezer up to 3 months.

📖 Variations

Substitute pear slices for the apple slices.
Use a purchased caramel sauce or dulce de leche in place of making the homemade caramel topping.
Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream.

Salted Caramel Apple Cake on a green cake plate.

💭 Tips

Use a springform pan to bake the cake. This allows the cake to easily be removed whole from the pan.
Toast the walnuts in the air fryer. It only takes about 2 minutes on the air fry setting and 400 degree temperature.
I do not recommend using lower fat sour cream for this recipe. Doing so may cause a dry cake.

Everyone loves these Chocolate Coated Caramel Apples!

Caramel Apple Cheese Danish is a perfect brunch recipe.

Try these Apple Dumplings with Salted Caramel Rum Sauce for your next family dinner.

Salted caramel fans will LOVE these Sweet and Salty Caramel Popcorn Balls.

Apple Walnut Coffee Cake is great for breakfast or snacking.

🍽 Serve with...

Serve this Caramel Apple Cake recipe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

A slice of caramel apple cake with salted caramel and toasted walnut topping with the whole cake blurred in the background.

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When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

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📖 Recipe