Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Icing

I've mentioned before how much I love Autumn baking. It's the time of year for pumpkin, cinnamon, and yes - apples. September is my "apple month" as far as baking goes. October tends to be more of a candy/chocolate/candy corn month, and November is my pumpkin and pies month. It's a great little balance of happiness. When I first started this blog, I made a fresh apple cake and posted it here. It was delicious (obviously, as I only post things that I absolutely adore on this blog). This time, I found a new and improved recipe for the cake AND the frosting and I'm so excited to share it!

Chef in Training has a delicious recipe for Caramel Apple Sheet Cake. I modified it to fit my equipment and my tastes. Because her recipe did not call for any salt, I took the liberty of adding some. I also modified the recipe to fit a 9x13-inch cake pan. The caramel icing actually came from Spicy Southern Kitchen's Southern Caramel Cake recipe. Again, I added salt and modified the amount based on the size of the cake I made. These recipes go so so well together. 

For a printable recipe, click here:

Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Icing

Ingredients:

For the Cake

• 1 c. flour, plus 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 c. shortening
• 1/4 c. sour milk (1/4 c. milk with 1/4 tsp. lemon juice added)
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. peeled and chopped green apples (about 2 medium-sized apples)

For the Caramel Icing

• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 5 1/2 Tbsp. milk
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

1. For the cake: In a large mixing bowl, measure flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, water, and shortening. Bring to a boil. After mixture reaches a boil, add it to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add buttermilk, then baking soda, then eggs, then vanilla in that order, mixing in between each addition. Stir in apples
3. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch cake pan.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
5. While cake is cooling, make frosting by combining brown sugar, butter, milk, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir well and turn heat down so mixture boils gently. Cook for 7 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and let cool for 5 minutes.
6. Beat the icing with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Pour icing over the entire warm cake.
7. Let the cake cool completely before slicing into squares. (Or just dig right in - it just won't come out as pretty!)
8. Enjoy and share!

Because this is a thin sheet cake, it is perfect for slicing up and sharing with friends. Lucky for me, I had a last-minute need for a babysitter while I went to the dentist last week and this was the perfect "thank you" treat. 

This is super easy to make so I hope you will give it a try!