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Caramel Apple Gooey Butter Cake

  • Author: Elizabeth Buuck
  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 45 min
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 9" Cake 1x

Description

A ooey gooey dessert mashup of cinnamon apple cake and caramel cheesecake that’s rich and indulgent and SO delicious!


Ingredients

Scale

For the Cinnamon Apple Cake Layer

  • 1 lb Thinly Sliced Apples, (about 2 medium sized honey crisps and 3 small granny smiths)
  • 10 TBSP Salted Butter, divided
  • 1/8 tsp Allspice
  • 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 TBSP Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 C + 2 TBSP (130 g) Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 1/3 C (150 g) All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 Lg Eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

For the Caramel Cream Cheese Layer

  • 8 oz (1 Block) Full Fat Cream Cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 Lg Egg, at room temperature
  • 3 C (350 g) Powdered Sugar + more for dusting
  • 1/3 C Salted Caramel Sauce (*homemade or store bought is fine. My salted caramel recipe can be found here.)

Instructions

  • Core your apples and slice them to 1/8″ thick slices. Once sliced, you should have 1 lb of apples. Place them into a bowl with 2 TBSP of sugar and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour. After an hour, remove from the fridge and drain off the excess liquid.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper and spray with non stick spray.
  • In a large skillet, melt 2 TBSP of the butter. Add the brown sugar, allspice, ground cloves, and cinnamon. Whisk until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
  • Add the apples and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  • Melt the remaining 8 TBSP of butter and add it to a large mixing bowl with the granulated sugar. Use a hand whisk to combine.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until the eggs are fully incorporated.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and fold until just combined with a few streaks of flour remaining.
  • Add in the slightly cooled apples and fold until combined and no flour streaks remain.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, spread into an even layer, and prepare the cream cheese layer.
  • In a medium mixing bowl use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add the egg and mix to combine. Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the powdered sugar 1/2 at a time, mixing for 2 minutes after each addition or until smooth. 
  • Add the salted caramel sauce and mix to combine.
  • Pour the caramel cream cheese mixture onto the apple cake batter and use a small offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.
  • Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. It will still be wobbly in the center, but as long as the edges are golden and the top has a crackly skin, it’s done.
  • Let cool on the counter for 10-15 minutes, then place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours to allow the cream cheese layer to set.
  • When ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar and slice into 8 pieces.

Notes

  • Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Keywords: gooey butter cake, gooey butter cake recipe, caramel apple gooey butter cake, gooey cake