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Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like apple-cinnamon-caramel goodness. These flavors are just meant to be together.
Texture: The cake is ridiculously moist, tender, and slightly spongy. The glaze on top is ultra thick and luscious.
Ease: One of the easiest cakes on my site!
Why you’ll love this recipe: It’s delicious and crowd-pleasing. Perfect for the holidays (or anytime you want the house to smell heavenly).
This Salted Caramel Apple Sheet Cake is the perfect dessert for any fall event!
Caramel + apples + cake = complete dessert perfection.
The aroma as this cake bakes is pure bliss. Lightly spiced apples waft through the air, making your whole house smell like a fall candle. Add salted caramel, and I’m in heaven.
This cake is super tender, ultra-moist, and beautifully light – not to mention it’s super quick and easy!
The inspiration for this recipe came from my blogger friend Nikki of Chef in Training. Her post for Salted Caramel Apple Sheet Cake was teasing me for months, so I finally decided to make my own version of it. And it’s AMAZING.
I suggest you make this recipe for your next party, celebration, or occasion, as it’s a huge crowd-pleaser. This sheet cake also makes a fantastic Thanksgiving dessert, if you have guests who prefer cake to pie!
So easy to make and so delicious! Everyone loved this when I baked this cake! It came together so quickly and easily. I’m going to be making it for thanksgiving this week. All your recipes are always a hit, you are my go to for all recipes!❤️😊
Key Recipe Ingredients
Buttermilk: Adds richness, moisture, tenderness, and a tang to help balance the sweetness. Its acidity also helps activate the baking soda.
- Swap: Full-fat sour cream, just note the final texture will be slightly different.
Apples: I prefer Granny Smith, which are tart and complement the sweetness of the salted caramel glaze. They also hold their shape and structure as they bake. Jonathan, Golden Delicious, and Honeycrisp should work fine too, or you could use an assortment.
Flour: Essential to ensure the perfect texture that isn’t too dense or tough. I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale to weigh your flour, but if you don’t have one, use the spoon-and-level method. This ensures that you don’t accidentally compact too much flour and end up with a sheet cake that’s dry or flavorless.
Sugar: Both granulated and brown sugar for the best flavor and to add additional moisture. It might seem simple to reduce the sugar to cut down on sweetness, but reducing sugar here will drastically impact the texture of your cake. Learn more about sugar’s role in baking here.
Salted Caramel Glaze: This cake tastes incredible on its own, but the glaze takes it to a whole new level. Make my 15-minute Homemade Caramel Sauce, or to save time, buy store-bought. I use Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce.
How to Prepare the Apples
Peel and chop each apple evenly into about 1/4-inch pieces to ensure even baking. This apple corer makes quick work of prepping your apples!
The Texture of This Sheet Cake
This Salted Caramel Apple Sheet Cake has a slightly unique texture. It’s ultra moist and slightly spongy with a light and airy feel. I personally love how light it is – it’s the perfect dessert after a big meal! If you want a bit more structure, feel free to add an extra 2 tablespoons of flour.
Storage & Make ahead
For the best taste and texture, serve this cake the day it’s baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. I haven’t tested freezing this cake, but if you’d like to try it, freeze the unglazed cake, then thaw at room temperature and add the glaze once thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
I included instructions for baking this cake in a jelly roll pan and a slightly bigger 16.75 by 12-inch pan. I have not tested it with a 9 by 13-inch pan, but the time would need to be increased by a few minutes as the cake will be a little thicker. See instructions for halving the recipe in a smaller pan below.
Yes! Here are the measurements:
* 1 cup (127 grams) all-purpose flour
* ½ tsp cinnamon
* ¼ tsp baking soda
* ⅛ tsp salt
* 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
* 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
* 1/2 cup (118 grams) water
* 1/4 cup (60 grams) buttermilk
* 1 large egg
* ½ tsp vanilla
* 1 cup (100 grams) chopped Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Halved in a 9-inch springform pan: Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The center will be slightly higher than the edges. Yield: 8 large slices
Halved in an 8×8-inch metal pan: Line pan with parchment, leaving an overhang. Grease the parchment. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The center will rise higher than the edges but will flatten slightly as it cools. Yield: 9 large or 16 small slices.
Yes! Use half the cake recipe (see measurements above). Chop the apples into pieces slightly smaller than 1/4 inch. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake an additional 15-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Make 1/4 of the icing recipe and use about 1 teaspoon of glaze per cupcake. Yield: 12 cupcakes.
I don’t recommend it. This recipe requires more testing to ensure the loaf won’t overflow in the pan or sink upon cooling.
Sure, but I recommend trying it with icing first. This cake is delicious on its own, but the icing adds an additional caramely sweetness that perfectly complements the flavor. It’s very nostalgic! Feel free to use half the glaze for less sweetness.
Yes. As the cake cools, you might see some small air bubbles or gaps around the apples. This is normal and actually helps the cake absorb the glaze.
If your glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time.
If your glaze is too thick, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (236 grams) water
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups (200 grams) peeled and chopped Granny Smith apples (about 2 medium apples), cut to 1/4-inch thickness
For the glaze:
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) milk
- 3 cups (375 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup
homemade salted caramel sauce, or store-bought
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter or oil a 10-by-15-inch jellyroll pan or a 16-3/4 by 12-inch sheet pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the butter with 1 cup water and heat until the butter melts. Bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, remove from heat and stir into the flour mixture. Let cool for about 3 minutes, then whisk in the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Gently stir in the apples.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 20 minutes if using a jelly roll pan, and about 17 minutes if using a 16.75 by 12-inch pan, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Make the glaze:
- Meanwhile, combine the butter and milk in a large heat-proof bowl. Microwave until the butter is melted. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar until combined. Stir in the vanilla and caramel until combined. If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken. Pour evenly over the slightly warm cake. Feel free to use less glaze for less sweetness. Let set for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Apple Crisp
- Apple Galette
- Caramel Apple Streusel Pie
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie Pizookies
- Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from Chef in Training. This recipe was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with additional recipe tips and improvements.
if I needed this cake to take to a gathering on Tuesday morning, could I make it on Sunday and keep it covered on the counter? should I add the glaze on Monday night or still put the glaze on after it cools? really excited to try it 🙂 I could make the cake on Monday night, but Sunday would be more convenient for me!
I’d wait to glaze it until tonight if possible! Otherwise it might get soggy.
House smells HEAVENLY! OK – my cake was done, tested & tasted. Set a small piece aside w/o & was light & spongy exactly as mentioned & delicious w/o the glaze. Added the glaze (followed recipe to the tee & now the cake though tastes good, turned to mush. What happened?). Is it because the cake was warm? Said to add the glaze on warm cake. Hmmm, confused, 1st cake ever that’s ever done that. Sadly has that icky birthday cake & ice cream mixture-mushy texture. Should i only have added1/2 the glaze, or waited until the cake was cool? Please help, was such a great flavor & again the hiuse smells incredible. Thank you!
Hi, Kelli! How strange! That definitely didn’t happen to me, but if you encountered this issue then I would definitely wait until the cake is cooler before glazing. And perhaps start with 1/2 if you found it too sweet.
Or was it because tha cake has been cut and the glaze sipped into the cake which makes it mushy?
This looks so delicious! Salted caramel + apple sounds amazing. 🙂
I made this cake and it was claimed as a favorite by EVERYONE in the family. It was super moist and so flavorful! Definitely a keeper! And it looked beautiful cut in squares!
I used a jelly roll pan lined with parchment. To speed up making the batter I used the grater disc of my food processor instead of dicing the apples. I made the glaze using store bought caramel sauce – it was delicious but made too much glaze so we had some brownies with the glaze on Sunday! That was a bonus!
Thank you for a great fall recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that, Louise! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
I am going to try this again using a regular cake pan
Hello, I made this last night to donate to a church fall festival however, it will not be going. It is an ugly cake. The cake was frosted after cooling for 20 min and the cake was still too warm, which then made for a glaze instead of frosting. Also I think the next time I will dice, not chop the apples. Chopping made them too large which added to the ugliness of the cake. The flavor is spot on, so thank you for the yumminess.
Hi Harriet! Yes, this recipe definitely has a glaze, not a traditional buttercream frosting. I don’t think any sheet cake is very pretty… that’s why they’re so quick and easy 😉
Tessa
Thank you very much for getting back to me
it’s good I test it every time I use it maybe the pan was too big I used a 12x18x2
Oh yes, that was probably it. The two sizes I’ve tested this recipe with are listed in the directions so I would definitely stick to one of those if you can!
I made your cake and followed everything to the T even used the same pan but my cake turned out thin what could I have done wrong ?
Hi Lori, is it possible that your baking soda has gone bad? To check, place 1/4 teaspoon in a bowl and pour 1 teaspoon distilled vinegar on top. If it bubbles up, it is fresh. If nothing happens, then it has lost its ability to leaven.
I am so happy I found your beautiful blog! This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it this fall! YUM!!
Thank you so much, Melanie!
Wow- this is absolutely the best fall dessert – everyone loved it!
I have a 12x18x2 cake pan that I use to make dessert for my church dinners. Would I just use one recipe or should I use more to fit this size pan. I don’t mind the cake being taller etc just wondering what your recommendation would be.
Thanks
Sarah
Since that’s only a couple inches larger than the sheet pan size specified in the recipe, I would follow those baking guidelines and possibly shave off a minute or two.