Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze

Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze is the cozy, crowd-pleasing fall dessert you’ll want on repeat. It’s moist, warmly spiced, and topped with a silky, salted caramel glaze that drips down every slice. Because the batter comes together in one bowl and the glaze is simple, this Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze works for weeknights, holidays, and everything in between. You’ll get bakery-style results with home-kitchen effort nice!
At a Glance

• Servings: 12–14 slices
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 45–55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (includes cooling)
• Difficulty: Easy
• Estimated Cost: $8–$12 (varies by apples and dairy)

Ingredients

What you need for Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze

Dry

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 g)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
  Wet
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (150 g)
• ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• ½ cup neutral oil (canola or sunflower) or melted unsalted butter, slightly cooled
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (120 g) — keeps this moist apple cake tender
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (60 g) — boosts apple flavor
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  Apples & Mix-ins
• 3 cups peeled, diced apples (about 3 medium; 360–400 g). Mix tart and sweet: Granny Smith + Honeycrisp for a balanced apple cinnamon recipe.
• 1 tbsp lemon juice — prevents browning
• ½ cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts (optional; omit for nut-free)
  Caramel Glaze (homemade caramel sauce style)
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (56 g)
• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (100 g)
• ¼ cup heavy cream (60 ml)
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  Notes & Swaps
• Gluten-free: Use a quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum; add +1 tbsp milk if batter seems thick.
• Dairy-free: Use plant yogurt and coconut cream; for the glaze, swap vegan butter and coconut cream.
• Oil vs butter: Oil yields a softer, easy apple cake crumb; butter adds rich flavor.
• Sugar: You can use all brown sugar for a deeper molasses note.
• Spice: Prefer a lighter cinnamon spice cake? Halve the cloves and allspice.

Best baking apples (pick 1–2 types)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Before you start: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan (2-inch tall), a 9×9-inch square pan, or a 10-cup bundt. A parchment sling makes lifting easy. Here’s how to nail a Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze without fuss.

• Prep apples & pan
  Peel, core, and dice apples into ½-inch pieces. Toss with lemon juice. Grease pan and line bottom with parchment. If using nuts, toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 3–4 minutes; cool.

• Make the batter
  In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. In another bowl, whisk sugars, eggs, oil, yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla until smooth. Add dry to wet and stir just until combined. Fold in apples (and nuts). Don’t overmix—this keeps the batter for your Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze tender.

• Bake
  Spread batter into pan, smoothing the top. Bake 45–55 minutes (bundt may need ~55–65 minutes) until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. If browning too fast, tent loosely with foil at 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out to a rack. For a flawless Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze finish, cool until just warm.

• Cook the caramel glaze
  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and cream; bring to a gentle simmer, whisking, for 2–3 minutes until sugar dissolves and glaze thickens slightly. Off heat, stir in salt and vanilla. Let cool 5–10 minutes; you want a pourable, spoon-coating texture for your Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze.

• Glaze & set
  Place warm cake on a rack over a sheet pan. Pour glaze over the top, letting it drip down the sides. Let set 10–15 minutes before slicing. This final step seals moisture and gives that signature Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze shine.

Pro Tips & Variations

Pro tips for Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze

• Weigh ingredients. A scale prevents dry crumbs. Flour packs easily; 1 cup = 120 g.
• Room-temp eggs & dairy. Better rise, even crumb, and a smooth batter.
• Mix just to combine. Overmixing develops gluten and toughens this baked apple dessert.
• Apple size matters. Dice evenly so pieces bake through at the same rate.
• Glaze thickness. If too thin, simmer 30–60 seconds more; if too thick, whisk in 1–2 tsp warm cream. Perfect caramel makes Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze pop.
• Salt smart. A pinch of salt in the caramel keeps the sweetness balanced.
• Shine trick. Pour glaze while cake is warm, not hot. It clings instead of running off.

Variations (keep the spirit, tweak the style)

• Gluten-free cinnamon spice cake: Use 1:1 GF blend; add +1 tbsp milk.
• Dairy-free: Coconut cream + vegan butter in the glaze; plant yogurt in the cake.
• Whole-grain: Swap ½ cup flour for white whole wheat; add +1 tbsp applesauce.
• No-nut: Skip nuts and add ¼ cup raisins for chewy pops.
• Extra apple: Fold in an extra ½ cup apples; bake 5–10 minutes longer if needed.
• Bundt beauty: Double the glaze and do a second warm drizzle just before serving for a showy Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze.

Pan size & bake time guide

Serving Suggestions

How to serve Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze

• Simple: Warm slice with a drizzle of extra caramel and a pinch of flaky salt.
• A la mode: Vanilla ice cream or cinnamon frozen yogurt adds cool-creamy contrast to this fall dessert.
• Breakfast treat: Serve with Greek yogurt and sliced apples for a cozy morning.
• Holiday baking platter: Dust with cinnamon sugar and add apple chips for crunch—great for Thanksgiving.
• Drinks: Hot coffee, chai, or milk. No alcohol needed; the spices carry the flavor. This Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze holds its own.

Storage & Reheating

Store and reheat Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze

• Room temp: Cover and keep 1 day. The glaze helps lock in moisture.
• Fridge: Up to 5 days, airtight. Bring to room temp or warm slices 10–15 seconds in the microwave.
• Freeze: Wrap ungla zed cake in plastic + foil up to 2 months. Thaw wrapped at room temp; warm slightly, then glaze fresh for best Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze texture.
• Refresh: If the glaze dulls, warm 1–2 tbsp cream and whisk it into leftover caramel, then drizzle again.

Troubleshooting

Fixes for Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze

• Dry cake: Too much flour or overbaked. Weigh flour and pull when crumbs on toothpick look moist. Brush warm cake with 1–2 tbsp warm cream before glazing.
• Soggy middle: Apple chunks too large or underbaked. Dice smaller and add 5–10 minutes bake time. Tent if top browns too fast.
• Sunken center: Batter overmixed or oven door opened early. Stir just to combine; don’t open door before 35–40 minutes.
• Runny glaze: Simmer longer; sugar must dissolve. Or whisk in ¼ cup powdered sugar to thicken in a pinch.
• Too sweet: Increase salt in caramel to ½ tsp or swap ¼ cup sugar for additional applesauce.
  This easy apple cake nails that bakery crumb while keeping the cozy flavor of a cinnamon spice cake. With a silky, homemade caramel sauce, your Spiced Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze will become your go-to apple cinnamon recipe all season long.