Spiced Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream and Apple Cider Bourbon Caramel

I genuinely don’t take any words for this cake! I don’t mean I’ve been this excited nearly a recipe in a long time. And I get pretty darn excited nearly all of them. Today is my birthday, too I wanted to brand something super fun in addition to especial! I really take no problem making my own birthday cake. I’ve done it for years in addition to I really love it as well as relish the process then much. It’second so therapeutic to me.

I accept no idea where to fifty-fifty get-go! The cake itself is filled alongside tons of autumn spices similar cinnamon, ginger, allspice, too nutmeg. It’second also filled amongst grated granny smith apples and honeycrisps as well (my absolute favorite)! It too has all dark-brown carbohydrate instead of white and so it’second super rich as well as caramelly. And moist! I know a lot of you lot hate that give-and-take only there’sec no other mode to draw it! So. much. flavour.

And oh my goodness the buttercream! Brown carbohydrate buttercream to be exact! I’one thousand unremarkably non a frosting individual just this is the best frosting I have EVER tasted. It’s made with egg whites, and so it’s SUPER fluffy. And it’second made of all dark-brown sugar, which adds to the lovely caramel flavour. I tin can’t depict how practiced it is. I could seriously consume it alongside a spoon!!

The apple tree cider bourbon caramel adds some other insanely delicious layer of flavour to this cake. I hateful, what’sec non to dearest virtually homemade caramel sauce that’second spiked with bourbon too apple tree cider?! SO much good!

If yous’ve never made your own caramel, don’t be intimidated. It’sec crazy slowly and so worth it. All y'all take is carbohydrate, H2O, heavy cream, together with a tablespoon of corn syrup. And inward this instance, bourbon! And apple tree cider instead of water! This volition make extra so you lot tin can continue it inwards the refrigerator too eat it on only well-nigh anything this vacation flavour! I’k looking at yous, ice cream. And cookies! And brownies. Or even oatmeal…? I’d never always guess.

If you’re thinking this seems like an intimidating cake, I promise you it’s non! There aren’t too many ingredients, together with it’second all nigh the method. As presently equally you lot brand the 3 components, it comes together effortlessly!

I had and then much fun decorating this, just feel costless to get creative! I plant those adorable mini apples at the grocery store last weekend in addition to simply most died. I idea they would live theeee most perfect cake topper. I’k non sure if you lot can say the scale of how tiny and cute they are by these photos, only they are smaller than a lawn tennis ball. So freaking cute! Then to finish the cake off, I but got or so fall flowers as well as arranged them on the top. But only accept fun amongst it!

Do you have any birthday cake traditions? I grew up ALWAYS requesting funfetti. Boxed funfetti cake that is. With the store-bought container of vanilla frosting. WHY is that material then proficient?! I take no judgement at all toward boxed cake mix or frosting. That taste just tin can’t live replicated.

Sometimes my palate simply wants something a little unlike too more than sophisticated/elegant. And this was 1 of those times!

So much chocolate-brown saccharide goodness. I tin can’t look to eat some other piece of this this night!

Do you take whatsoever birthday traditions aside from the cake? The by several years I’ve gone to the gym inwards the morn for my common early workout, so went together with got doughnuts in downtown Baltimore. I freaking beloved doughnuts. Especially the fancy gourmet season ones. I mean what’sec non to beloved?! They brand me then, and so happy.

Then I’m merely having a relaxing dinner at dwelling alongside a repast cooked by my mama. Filet mignon, mac too cheese, garlic butter shrimp, as well as salad! Some of my favorite things inwards life. And this cake of grade!

And you tin bet I’ll live adding an extra drizzle (or iii) of this caramel!

five from 1 vote

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Spiced Apple Cake amongst Brown Sugar Buttercream in addition to Apple Cider Bourbon Caramel

This super moist three layer cake is filled amongst autumn spices together with grated apples! It's topped alongside brownish saccharide buttercream as well as apple tree cider bourbon caramel!

Course

Dessert

Prep Time one hour

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 60 minutes twoscore minutes

Ingredients

For the cake

• 
  ii 1/4
  cups
  all role flour
  


• 
  two
  teaspoons
  baking soda
  


• 
  1/2
  teaspoon
  baking powder
  


• 
  three
  teaspoons
  cinnamon
  


• 
  ane/two
  teaspoon
  ground ginger
  


• 
  1 1/two
  teaspoons
  allspice
  


• 
  ane/two
  teaspoon
  nutmeg
  


• 
  i
  teaspoon
  common salt
  


• 
  ii
  cups
  packed calorie-free brown carbohydrate
  


• 
  ii
  big
  eggs
  


• 
  2
  teaspoons
  vanilla extract
  


• 
  ane/two
  cup
  whole milk
  


• 
  three/four
  cup
  canola fossil oil
  


• 
  ii
  granny smith apples, peeled and grated
  


• 
  ii
  honeycrisp apples, peeled too grated
  

For the apple tree cider bourbon caramel

• 
  2
  cups
  sugar
  


• 
  ane/2
  loving cup
  apple tree cider
  


• 
  ane
  tablespoon
  lite corn syrup
  


• 
  one
  cup
  heavy cream
  


• 
  i/two
  loving cup
  bourbon
  


• 
  ane/2
  teaspoon
  common salt
  

For the dark-brown sugar buttercream

• 
  four
  egg whites
  


• 
  i
  loving cup
  packed lite chocolate-brown saccharide
  


• 
  one
  teaspoon
  vanilla
  


• 
  ane/4
  teaspoon
  salt
  


• 
  one 1/two
  cups
  (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  

Instructions

1. 
   

   Begin by making the cake. Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter as well as flour three ix-inch circular cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans alongside parchment paper too.

   
   


2. 
   

   In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking pulverisation, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, in addition to table salt. Set aside. In a big bowl, whisk together the brownish sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, in addition to canola crude until smooth. Add the flour mixture too stir until combined. Fold in the grated apples as well as stir until only combined. Divide the batter amongst prepared pans and polish out the tops alongside a rubber spatula.

   
   


3. 
   

   Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out make clean. Cool cakes inward pans for 20 minutes, and so cool for the residual of the style on a wire cooling rack.

   
   


4. 
   

   Next, make the caramel. In a medium saucepan, bring the carbohydrate, apple tree cider too corn syrup to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, just DO NOT stir! Swirl the pan on the stove if you involve to. Continue cooking, without stirring, until an amber caramel forms, nigh 6-vii minutes. Remove from the rut too carefully stir in the cream. Let cool for 1 minute, and then stir in the bourbon. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high oestrus too make, stirring, for i-two minutes. Stir inward the common salt. Let the caramel sauce cool. (I made mine the nighttime before but this isn't crucial. Stick it inward the refrigerator if y'all accept to!)

   
   


5. 
   

   Make buttercream. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the dark-brown saccharide, egg whites, vanilla, in addition to common salt until smoothen together with combined. Place bowl over a pan of boiling H2O, (brand sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't affect the H2O!), too fix until carbohydrate has dissolved, 3-4 minutes. Remove from estrus. Pour mixture into the bowl of an electrical mixer together with beat on medium speed for ten-12 minutes, until mixture is lighter inward color together with fluffy. Increase the speed to high in addition to vanquish until potent peaks form, some other yoke of minutes. Reduce speed to medium-depression as well as gradually add the butter, ii-three tablespoons at a time, together with shell until smooth. If the mixture seems to accept separated afterwards all the butter is incorporated, vanquish on medium-high until polish. Then, trim back speed to depression, as well as shell for 3 more minutes.

   
   


6. 
   

   To assemble the cake, place 1 layer on a serving plate, in addition to spread the top with buttercream. Top with some other layer too spread pinnacle with buttercream. Top with the 3rd layer in addition to spread amongst another layer of buttercream, leaving a niggling fleck left for the sides of the cake. Use the leftover buttercream to "half" frost the sides, to make a "semi-naked" upshot. Use an starting time spatula or bench scraper to smoothen out the sides of the cake. Pour the caramel over the cake as well as allow it drip downward the sides (y'all won't use it all, only role your desired sum!). Garnish alongside mini apples in addition to flowers, if desired.

   
   

buttercream in addition to cake adapted from martha.