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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.
Made the cake and when I went to make the glaze, it called for 1/4 cup of milk, but the directions never mention it. Do I use it or not?
Many people are asking about pan sizes. I find if I do the math – 10-x15-x1-inch jellyroll pan = 150 sq inches and holds about 10 cups of batter. A 17.25-x11.5×1-inch pan = 201 square inches and holds about 13 cups of batter. A 9-x13-x2-inch (117 sq inches) holds about 15 cups of batter . If I need to adjust pan size to what I have, I often drop temp by about 25 degrees and increase baking time by 15 minutes to start. It’s still an experiment though. Note the differences listed on the height of the pans – jellyroll will make a thin cake because they are only 1-inch deep. But it allows them to be baked and cooled quickly (as in Texas Sheet Cake). Usually, these aren’t designed to be fancy cakes; only tasty ones! Hope the math lesson makes sense and offers up some encouragement.
I made this cake today. I admit I have a new favorite! Bravo! Hats off to you! A beautiful creation. I used Gravenstein apples, as I had just been to the apple festival and came back with a 5 lb. bag. I love the flavor of the Gravenstein it only leant to a beautiful and complex flavor. The addition of the buttermilk into the rich and creamy batter was delightful. The way all of the ingredients seemed to flow like a devine orchestration seemlessly into each other. It was a pleasure to construct. Very, very good, indeed,
Thank you for adding the conversions…I have always wondered how much a stick of butter weighed, now I know. Will try this over the weekend, it sounds amazing.
Hi there!
I made this cake and while the flavors were delicious it came out really moist, but not in a good way. It had the consistency of bread pudding. I bake quite a bit and followed the instructions- any idea on what the culprit could be or tips on how to get a moist, crumbly texture over a moist pudding like texture?
It appears as though others have had similar results after adding the glaze, but it was obvious to me when I pulled it out of the oven that while cooked all the way, it was moist.
Many thanks!
Hi Sophia, that is the nature of this recipe! Sheet cakes like this are usually very moist, not crumbly.
Hi. I made this today and the cake turned out rubbery and eggy. Are u supposed to pour the hot butter and water to the dry ingredients while still hot? I’m sure my baking soda is ok because I made another cake before this one today.
I,too, wondered about the water and I did add it. I used a 1/2 sheet pan and cake was thin but I expected that. What I did not expect was the liquid that has accumulated in the pan. I made the cake 2 days ago and I would estimate there is about 3/4 cup of liquid in bottom of pan where I cut out slices. I assume that it is the apples weeping. The taste good but texture is of course EXTREMELY soggy! The apples I processessed in my food processor instead of chopping. Did that cause the problem?
I just made it….awesome!! I wish that I had read the comments earlier though. I made the cake tonight for luncheon tomorrow so I hope it doesn’t get soggy,
In the ingredients, you do not say 1 cup water, but in the instructions it
does? Also, can I use xlarge eggs? Should I wait to put the warm
glaze on it? I make Texas sheet cake and Carrot bars all the time and
they come out perfectly. First time for this, and I am confused!!
Hi Sue, water is not typically called for in the list because it’s assumed all kitchens will have it. XL eggs might work, but I’ve only tested the recipe as it’s written. Warm glaze should work fine.
Forgive me please! Clearly IN THE INGREDIENT’S LIST, you state for apples to be peeled & chopped! My over site ‼️ I am on my way to Great Cake Making‼️
Hello! I am making this cake today, like right now. Reading the recipe I noticed I’m to gently stir in apples. How are the apples to be prepped before I stir in? I don’t want to mess this up. Taking to a Social function @ Church to share with friends! Please let me know what I do to those apples properly! Thank you! Ingredients on countertop ready to go!
Hi I would like to try this recipe in a 12x 9 x3 brownie pan, will it work in that please?