Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze
This Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze boasts an ultra-moist crumb, crunchy pecans, tender apples, and a glossy, buttery caramel glaze that seeps through the entire cake. Whether served warm from the oven or at room temperature, it’s the kind of comforting dessert that disappears fast!
As cooler weather arrives, so does the craving for spiced, comforting desserts – the kind that fill your kitchen with the scent of cinnamon and brown sugar, like Cinnamon Apple Cream Cake or Apple Butter Oatmeal Bars.
This apple pecan cake delivers exactly that: a moist, tender crumb packed with soft diced apples, chopped pecans, and warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom). But the real magic happens when rich caramel glaze is poured over the warm cake, seeping everywhere for an irresistibly sticky, buttery bite.
Serve each slice with ice cream for dessert or enjoy it as an indulgent treat with hot coffee!
What is apple pecan cake with caramel glaze?
This Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze is a decadent, warmly spiced dessert that perfectly balances rich caramel-like sweetness with tender, apple-studded texture. The cake itself is ultra-moist thanks to a blend of light brown sugar and vegetable oil, while diced Granny Smith apples and chopped pecans add pops of tartness and crunch. Aromatic cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg deepen the flavor, making each bite fragrant and cozy.
The best part is the luscious caramel glaze – a silky, buttery sauce made with brown and white sugar, and heavy cream. The apple pecan caramel cake is poked with holes and then filled with irresistible glaze, seeping into every crevice to create a sticky-sweet finish.
Serve it slightly warm for a gooey, comforting treat, or at room temperature for cleaner slices – either way, I doubt you’ll have to worry about any leftovers!
Ingredients needed to make apple pecan cake with caramel glaze
For the Apple Pecan Cake:
- Light brown sugar: Light brown sugar adds moisture to cake batter more than white sugar because it contains molasses, which attracts and retains water. It’s great for spiced cakes like this apple pecan cake.
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar provides clean sweetness, preventing the cake from tasting overly heavy or molasses-forward. For a deeper caramel-like depth, swap with 1/2 cup of light brown sugar.
- Vegetable oil: Oil in the batter will create a moist and tender crumb with a lighter texture – an ideal contrast to the rich and decadent caramel glaze.
- Eggs: Allow your eggs to reach room temperature for easy mixing. For an egg-free cake, use 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce per egg.
- All-purpose flour: I’ve used unbleached all-purpose flour in this cake which has a slightly off-white or yellowish tint. It’s perfect to use for this cake considering its caramel coloring. For a lighter texture, substitute with cake flour.
- Baking soda: A leavening agent for the perfect rise.
- Spices: This cake gets a lovely boost of warmth from ground cinnamon, cardamom, and freshly grated nutmeg.
- Kosher salt: Balances the flavors in this cake. Reduce to 1/4 tsp if using salted butter in the caramel glaze.
- Vanilla extract: For added depth of flavor. Add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract for nutty notes, if you like.
- Apples: This is a key ingredient alongside the pecans! Granny Smith apples are great for baking and cooking with. Make sure to peel and dice your apples into ½-inch pieces.
- Pecans: Chopped into larger chunks for extra texture. Feel free to use toasted pecans for added depth of flavor.
For the Caramel Glaze:
- Unsalted butter: Salted butter works too, just omit any added salt in this glaze.
- Sugar: A combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar to mimic the flavor profile of the cake.
- Salt: To enhance the flavors in this glaze.
- Heavy cream: This is rich and creamy – ideal for the decadent glaze topping.
How do you make this apple pecan cake with caramel glaze?
Prepare and mix the wet cake ingredients:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and generously butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, beat together the sugars and oil until fully emulsified and smooth.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated.
Combine the dry ingredients:
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Avoid overmixing.
Fold in and bake:
- Stir in the vanilla extract, followed by the apples and pecans. The batter will be thick and heavily studded with apples.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula.
- Bake for 55–65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan while preparing the glaze.
Cook the caramel glaze topping:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add both sugars and salt, whisking until fully combined.
- Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugars.
- Slowly pour in the heavy cream while whisking continuously.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
Assemble the apple pecan cake with caramel glaze:
- Use a skewer to poke holes all over the surface of the warm cake.
- Slowly pour the warm caramel glaze over the top, allowing it to seep into the cake.
- Slice and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Serving
Serve a slice of this indulgent and comforting apple pecan cake with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.
This Coffee Affogato With Vanilla Ice Cream is a great way to cut through the sweetness of your after-dinner dessert or wash it down with a cozier alternative – this Pumpkin Spice Latte!
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover apple pecan cake with caramel in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavors deepen over time!
- Freezing and making ahead: You can bake the cake ahead of time and freeze it for up to a month without the glaze. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. While the cake sits at room temperature, make the caramel glaze and then pour over the poked cake just before serving.
- Nuts: Swap pecans for walnuts, or toast your pecans in a dry pan before chopping to add to the cake batter for deeper flavor. Candied Maple Walnuts would also be amazing!
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum if needed.
- Even soaking: Poke holes deep into the caramel apple poke cake without going straight through the cake and close together for maximum topping distribution throughout the cake.
- Glaze consistency: If the glaze is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of heavy cream of milk to loosen it. It must be a pourable consistency to seep into the holes.
- Double the recipe: Bake in two pans when catering to a crowd (adjust baking time by 5-10 minutes).
- Don’t overmix: Be careful that you don’t overmix the cake batter or you will create an overly dense cake.
- Topping ideas: Add candied pecans on top of the caramel glaze or a crumbled streusel for incredible texture.
More cozy desserts you may want to try:
- Buttermilk Cake with Maple Bacon Glaze
- Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling
- Easy Pumpkin Butter Cake
- Gingerbread Cake with Cinnamon Molasses Frosting
- Salted Caramel Brownies
Get the Recipe:
Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze
Ingredients
For the Apple Cake:
- Butter, for the baking dish
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped pecans, larger chunks
For the Caramel Glaze:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
Equipment
Instructions
For the Apple Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugars and oil until very well blended. Add the eggs and beat until combined. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt, and gradually add to the sugar and eggs, mixing just until well blended. Stir in the vanilla. Then incorporate the apples and pecans. The batter will be thick and mostly apples.
- Scrape the batter into the buttered baking pan.
- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, for 55-65 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan while you prepare the caramel glaze.
For the Caramel Glaze:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add both the sugars and the salt. Whisk until blended and cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream, whisk and boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. The sauce will thicken up!
Assemble the Cake:
- Use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the apple cake and pour the warm caramel glaze over the surface. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
