Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

A tender apple cake bursting with fresh fruit, warm spices, and crunchy pecans, all finished with a rich salted caramel glaze. This comforting dessert is the perfect balance of sweet, nutty, and buttery flavors, making it a must-bake for fall or any season when apples are at their best.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Packed with chunks of real apples for natural sweetness and moisture.

• Uses both cinnamon and apple pie spice for layers of warmth and aroma.

• Topped with a luscious salted caramel glaze that adds just the right touch of indulgence.

• Stays soft and moist for days—perfect for make-ahead baking.

• Crowd-pleasing dessert for gatherings, yet easy enough for a cozy family treat.

Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

Apple desserts have always held a unique place in the heart of home baking, bringing together memories of family gatherings, cozy autumn afternoons, and the irresistible aroma of warm spices filling the kitchen. This apple cake is a celebration of those comforting traditions, yet it stands out for its simplicity and charm. Unlike more intricate desserts that require delicate pastry work or layers of decoration, this cake is honest and rustic, allowing the star ingredients—fresh apples and spices—to shine through in every slice.

While pies and tarts certainly have their place on the dessert table, they often demand more preparation and technical skill. Apple cake, on the other hand, invites a more relaxed approach to baking. Its rustic style embraces the natural textures of fruit and nuts, creating a wholesome dessert that feels both homemade and indulgent. This recipe demonstrates that delicious results don’t always require perfection; instead, it rewards the baker with a rich, moist cake that carries a sense of comfort and ease.

The texture of this cake is truly something special. Each bite reveals tender chunks of apples that have softened during baking, releasing their natural sweetness into the crumb. The addition of pecans provides a pleasing crunch that complements the fruit without overpowering it. Together, these elements create balance—a moist, almost custard-like crumb dotted with nutty bursts of flavor that keeps you coming back for more.

Caramel and apples have long been considered a perfect pairing, and this recipe elevates that combination by introducing a salted caramel glaze. Instead of simply being a sweet addition, the glaze transforms into a luscious, buttery topping that highlights the apples’ flavor. The slight saltiness cuts through the richness, giving the dessert a more sophisticated finish that appeals to both children and adults alike.

The choice of apple variety plays an important role in shaping the overall flavor of the cake. Tart apples such as Granny Smith add a sharp, tangy edge that balances the sweetness of the caramel. Sweeter varieties like Honeycrisp or Gala create a mellower cake that feels more indulgent. This flexibility allows you to adapt the cake to your personal taste preferences, or even to what’s available at the market during the season.

Spices, too, play a vital role in the success of this cake. Cinnamon lends its signature warmth, while the apple pie spice deepens the flavor profile with hints of nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. These familiar spices create a comforting aroma that immediately signals home baking, evoking memories of fall holidays and cozy evenings. The combination ensures that the cake doesn’t just taste delicious—it smells like comfort itself from the moment it begins baking.

Another detail that makes this recipe shine is the use of both brown sugar and granulated sugar in the batter. Brown sugar brings depth, moisture, and a slight molasses-like richness, while granulated sugar provides clean sweetness and structure. The balance of these two sweeteners helps create a cake that is neither too heavy nor overly light, but just right—moist, flavorful, and satisfying.

Folding the apples and pecans directly into the thick batter is an important step in this recipe. Rather than having the fruit sink to the bottom, this method ensures they are evenly distributed, resulting in a cake that feels abundant and generous. Every slice is packed with pieces of apple and bits of nut, creating a texture that feels hearty and substantial while still being tender.

The baking method is deliberately gentle, with the oven set to a lower temperature than many cakes. This ensures that the batter cooks evenly, allowing the apples to soften without drying out the crumb. The slow bake rewards your patience with a beautifully tender cake that holds together while remaining moist, a texture that feels luxurious without being fussy.

The salted caramel glaze might seem like an indulgent extra, but it is what transforms this apple cake into something truly memorable. Made by simmering butter, brown sugar, and cream together until silky and rich, it coats the cake in a golden sheen that looks as irresistible as it tastes. A light sprinkle of flaky sea salt adds the perfect finishing touch, bringing balance and depth that elevate the dessert far beyond ordinary.

There is something magical about serving this cake while still slightly warm, when the glaze is fresh and the aroma of apples and spices lingers in the air. Each bite melts in your mouth with a combination of tender cake, juicy fruit, and rich caramel. At the same time, the cake holds its own when cooled, its flavors deepening over time, making it just as enjoyable the next day with a morning coffee or afternoon tea.

This cake lends itself well to gatherings, since it can be easily cut into squares or rectangles and served without much fuss. It is the kind of dessert that fits perfectly into both casual family dinners and more festive occasions. Its rustic charm makes it approachable, while the caramel glaze gives it a touch of elegance that makes it worthy of a centerpiece on the dessert table.

One of the joys of this recipe is its versatility. You can easily substitute pecans with walnuts or almonds, or add dried fruits such as cranberries for an extra burst of tartness. The glaze can also be adapted with a hint of maple syrup for a seasonal twist, or even a touch of vanilla for added warmth. These small variations allow you to customize the cake without losing its essential character.

Storage is simple and forgiving, another reason this cake is such a reliable recipe. Covered and kept at room temperature, it stays moist for a couple of days, while refrigeration can extend its freshness even longer. A quick reheat in the microwave revives the flavors and softens the glaze, bringing back that just-baked taste.

Ultimately, this apple cake with salted caramel glaze is more than just a recipe—it’s an experience of home baking at its finest. It embodies the comforting flavors of apples, cinnamon, and caramel, all wrapped up in a dessert that feels both indulgent and familiar. Whether you’re baking it for family, friends, or simply to treat yourself, it delivers the kind of satisfaction that only a homemade cake can provide.

Servings

12–15 slices

Time

• Prep time: 25 minutes

• Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

• Cooling and glazing time: 30 minutes

• Total time: About 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 ½ cups vegetable or grapeseed oil

• 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, packed

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

• 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• 5 medium baking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

• ½ cup chopped pecans

For the Salted Caramel Glaze

• 6 tablespoons (84 g) salted butter

• ⅓ cup (65 g) dark brown sugar

• ⅓ cup (65 g) light brown sugar

• ½ cup heavy cream

• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 13×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Add oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

4. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.

5. Fold in the apples and pecans with a spatula. The batter will be thick and apple-heavy.

6. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan.

7. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack while preparing the glaze.

9. For the glaze: In a saucepan, melt butter. Add both sugars and cream, stirring constantly over low heat for 5 minutes.

10. Increase heat to high, boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Let cool for 5–7 minutes until slightly thickened.

11. Spoon glaze evenly over the warm cake.

12. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

13. Allow cake to cool completely before slicing with a sharp knife.

Tips

• Use firm apples like Granny Smith if you prefer a tart contrast, or Honeycrisp for sweetness.

• Toast the pecans beforehand for added depth.

• For a lighter cake, reduce the oil by ¼ cup and replace with applesauce.

• Glaze should be poured while warm—if it firms too much, gently reheat before using.

• Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated up to 5.