Tag: autumn apple recipes

Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

An easy-to-make square cake, typically unfrosted, is what my family would consider a snacking cake when I was growing up. This easy apple cake qualifies as a snacking cake because it stands on its own as a moist, delicious cake, unfrosted. BUT…if you add the silky cream cheese frosting, then you have yourself something a little more special. This cake could easily appear at a Thanksgiving meal and upstage the pies. I added food-safe fresh flowers and a faux sprig of greenery to dress it up for autumn. If you’re using fresh flowers, make sure to use pesticide-free flowers and wrap your stems before placing them into the cake. This cake is also amazing topped with caramel sauce.

Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A soft, moist apple cake with silky cream cheese frosting.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 9 servings

Ingredients
  

Apple Cake

  • 1 ¼ cups (159g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
  • ¾ cups (150g) packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large egg
  • â…” cup (148ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (227g) puréed apples or unsweetened applesauce*

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ½ cup (113g) cream cheese, softened
  • 10 tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups (361g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon heavy cream
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions
 

Apple Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan** with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Mix in the puréed apples until incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 28-33 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Beat in the butter, with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth and well combined.
  • Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and heavy cream until smooth and well combined. Stir slowly with a spatula to smooth the frosting and remove bubbles.

Notes

*If you're using applesauce and your applesauce is watery, drain off excess liquid before measuring.
**To find my favorite 8-inch square cake pan, click here.
Keyword apple, cake

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Although we have access to apples year around, apple season is my favorite time to bake with apples. I love the opportunity to go apple picking or choosing fresh apples from the abundance of apples available at farmers markets. Baking with apples makes your home smell cozy and delightful, especially when paired with cinnamon. These Caramel Apple Crumble Bars have the autumn flavors you’re craving. They’re the apple version of my popular Blueberry Crumble Bars and they’re equally delicious.

This recipe requires multiple steps, but the steps are all very easy. The apples are cooked briefly on the stovetop to achieve the perfect texture. The crust is par-baked to keep it crisp. The caramel is drizzled over the apples which helps keep them juicy and we all know what a perfect match apples and caramel are! Adding the caramel to the apples, rather than drizzling it over the top of the crumble topping also keeps the topping crisp. I like using tart green apples for this recipe, such as Granny Smith or Golden Delicious, or a combination of green and red apples, but you can use any baking apples that you prefer.

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Fresh apple cinnamon filling and caramel on a crisp, buttery shortbread base with a generous crumble topping
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 16 2-inch bars

Ingredients
  

Apples

  • 4 cups (16 oz or 454g) chopped, peeled fresh baking apples I used a combination of Granny Smith and Fuji
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
  • 1 ½ tablespoons (21g) butter
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (160g) caramel sauce or salted caramel sauce* purchased or homemade

Crumb Topping

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
  • â…“ cup (67g) packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Crust

  • 1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (43g) powdered sugar plus extra for sprinkling on top
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened

Instructions
 

Filling

  • In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice.
  • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the apples are tender, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Crumble Topping

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt until well blended. Work the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or with your fingertips until it looks sandy. Press together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Crust and Assembly

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. (180ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan** with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat just until the dough comes together.
  • Press the dough into the prepared baking pan. (To press the dough evenly into the pan, it's helpful to place a piece of parchment paper over the dough when you are pressing it into the pan. Remove the parchment before baking.) Bake until the surface looks evenly light golden brown, about 20-22 minutes. Remove from the oven. Top with the cooked apples. Drizzle with caramel sauce. Top with the crumb topping. Return the pan to the oven and continue baking until the topping looks golden brown and the filling starts to bubble, about 25-28 minutes.
  • Let cool completely in the pan. Dust the cooled bars with powdered sugar.

Notes

*For an easy caramel sauce recipe, click here. For my favorite homemade caramel sauce recipe, click here.
**To find the baking pan I used, click here.
Keyword bars, caramel apple