Remember the days walking around at the fall festival? The colorful bright lights flashing, the smell of the funnel cakes getting fried, the shriek of excitement from children enjoying a carnival ride. Pretty sweet times. All those things were made even sweeter with a caramel apple in hand. Let’s take it back to those times, but just with a little less stickiness and a fork instead of a stick. Caramel Apple Sheet Cake celebrates those memories by emphasizing the juicy Granny Smith apples all mingled within the fluffy, buttery cake. And of course, there’s caramel, too. That nostalgic treat gets a creamy makeover and is drizzled all over, so you relive your childhood in every bite. There’s no time like the present, especially when your favorite tastes of the past are there, too. Caramel Apple Sheet Cake provides you with the best of both!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
For the glaze:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2 –Butter or oil a 10×15-inch jellyroll pan or a 16.75×12-inch sheet pan.
Step 3 –In a large bowl, combine the flour, the cinnamon, the baking soda, the salt, the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar.
Step 4 –In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the 2 sticks of butter with the water until the butter melts and is boiling.
Step 5 –Transfer the boiling butter mixture away from the heat and stir it into the flour mixture.
Step 6 –Let the flour mixture cool slightly.
Step 7 –Add the buttermilk, the eggs, and the vanilla into the slightly cooled flour mixture.
Step 8 –Gently stir the apples into the batter.
Step 9 –Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Step 10 –Bake until a toothpick or fork inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes if using a jelly roll pan and about 17 minutes if using a half sheet pan.
Step 11 –Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 12 –While the cake cools, in a large heat-proof bowl, combine the remaining butter and milk.
Step 13 –Microwave the butter mixture until the butter is melted.
Step 14 –Gradually stir the powdered sugar into the butter mixture until combined.
Step 15 –Stir the vanilla and caramel into the sugar mixture until combined. If the glaze is too thin, add more of the powdered sugar to thicken.
Step 16 –Evenly pour the glaze over the slightly warm cake.
Step 17 –Let the glazed cake sit for 15 minutes.
Step 18 –Slice and serve.
