Applesauce Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce

Today I want to show you how to make Applesauce Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce which even a beginner can do.

This delicate and fragrant cake is a great recipe to have for your fall baking.

You can bake it in a Bundt pan like I did, or you can bake it in two round layer pans and frost it with buttercream or Italian meringue, you can even make it in a rectangular cake pan and serve it as an individual cakes.

We will start by making mouth-watering salty caramel which we’ll use for our cake batter and for decorating the cake.

Ingredients for the caramel:

200g sugar
60 ml water
120 ml heavy cream
40g soften butter
½ tsp sea salt (optional)

Ingredients for the cake:

360g all-purpose flour
200g sugar
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp pumpkin spice seasoning
2 eggs
320g unsweetened applesauce
110 ml water
100 ml vegetable oil
40 g caramel sauce

Step 1

In a heavy bottom saucepan combine the sugar and water. Wait until the water covers all the sugar. Then give it a stir and help the sugar spread evenly on the bottom of the pan.

Step 2

Next, turn the heat to medium and cook until the sugar dissolves and you see clear syrup. It is very important to not touch the sugar syrup during the cooking process to prevent sugar from crystallizing on the sides of the pan. Keep cooking and do not leave the caramel’s side. When the syrup starts changing color, bring the heavy whipping cream to a boil using a microwave for about a minute or by using another saucepan. We want to minimize temperature difference between the heavy cream and the sugar syrup.

Step 3

Once the caramel has gotten a golden color remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the soften butter and give it a stir. Then keep stirring the mixture, slowly add the hot heavy cream. Be very careful, because the caramel mixture will bubble and rise up. Continue stirring until the caramel settles down and add the sea salt.  Salt will help balance the sweetness of the caramel.

Step 4

Keep mixing the mixture until it looks very thin and runny. Pour the caramel sauce into a jar and let it cool to a room temperature. By then it will thicken and have a perfect consistency for decorating the cake.

Keep the caramel sauce refrigerated for up to a month where it will get very thick as it cools. To get it to a runny consistency again, just bring it to room temperature over the counter or you can reheat it in the microwave or over a water bath.

Step 5

In a large mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients, besides the sugar, and give it a stir.

Step 6

In a stand mixer bowl combine the eggs, sugar and whisk it until it’s light and fluffy.

Step 7

Add the applesauce, vegetable oil, water, caramel sauce and whisk until combined.

Step 8

Next, add all the dry ingredients at once and keep mixing until all are combined well. Scrape off the sides of the mixing bowl and pour the cake batter into a prepared baking pan.

I use the silicone Bundt cake mold, but you can use a regular Bundt cake pan, two 8-inch round layer pans or 13 by 9 by 2- inch baking pan greased and floured. Bake the cake at 350 F degrees for 65-70 minutes, layers for 50-55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Step 9

Let it cool for a few minutes, cover with a serving plate and flip the cake. Take off the mold and let it cool completely. You can dust the cake with powdered sugar or drizzle the caramel sauce on top.

You can also garnish the cake with chopped walnut or pecans.

Notes:

Remember that when you’re making the caramel sauce do not touch the sugar syrup during the cooking process to prevent sugar from crystallizing on the sides of the pan.
Be very careful when making the caramel sauce.
Keep the caramel sauce refrigerated for up to a month or you can freeze it for up to a few months.
To get the caramel to a runny consistency, bring it to room temperature on the counter or you can reheat it in the microwave or over a water bath.
For the cake batter, instead of the pumpkin spice seasoning, you can use ¼ tsp of ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp of ground cloves and ¼ tsp of ground ginger.
All the ingredients need to be at room temperature.
You can use Bundt cake pan, two 8-inch round layer pans or 13x9x2- inch baking pan greased and floured.
Bake the cake at 350 F degrees for 65-70 minutes, layers for 50-55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

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