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You guys, you guys, you guys.
I maybe, kind of sort of, got a little carried away with this Salted Caramel Apple Snickers Cake.
But sometimes I really just cannot help myself. Getting carried away in chocolate is always a fun thing. And this cake? It’s my favorite fall recipe to date. I freaking love this cake!
I kind of have a lot to say about this cake (how could I not!). Please bear with me as I ramble (and ramble) and try to convince you that you need to make this cake.
For one, I realize that this cake is well, totally high maintenance. I am not going to sit here and try to tell you that it’s quick and easy because that would just be a lie. This cake takes a little TLC for sure, but I think it’s a cake that is worth it. Maybe it’s only a once year cake, but that is what makes it even more special. And the time of year to make it is NOW. I am thinking Halloween, but Thanksgiving would work too. Personally, I think it’s geared more towards Halloween. It has a little spook factor to it, the caramel apples and the whole Snickers thing makes it a dead ringer for Halloween, when everything is all about candy. Although, I didn’t actually use any Snickers in this cake, it’s just Snickers flavored…. but it’s better than a Snickers.
Without a doubt.
Here’s the deal, the cake part is simple. It’s just a spiced apple cake, but made chocolate. I know that is not really typical, but who cares, it’s good. The cinnamon is delicious with the chocolate and the sweet flavors of the apples.
Oh, and since this cake is full of applesauce that means it’s healthy, right??
Ok, ok, fine, it’s not even close to being healthy, but hey I had to try. And hey, it’s a celebration cake so the calories don’t count anyways… reason number 101 as to why I love the months of October, November and December. These are the months when food can be whatever we want it to be. Yes to the yes.
Once you have the cake all baked, it’s time for the caramel. Now the caramel we are dividing into two parts. You are going to start off, by making one big pot of salted caramel sauce. We only need one cup of the caramel sauce, so we remove that from the pot, set it aside to cool and then reserve the remaining caramel sauce (just leave it in the pot you cooked it in) for later on in the recipe. We need the one cup of salted caramel sauce for making the frosting and drizzling the cake layers. The rest of the caramel in the pot will need to be cooked again and brought to the proper temperature to coat the apples in. Once the cake is all assembled you will cover the cake and apples in this caramel. This is the very final step though.
The next step is the frosting, which may just be the best part. The frosting is addicting you guys. If you are a frosting lover, you may just want to double the recipe. It’s “spoonful worthy” good.
The frosting is sort of the “nougat” and peanut layer of the cake combined into one. I really did not want to take the time to make two sets of frosting for this cake, so I just combined them into one. It worked perfectly, if I do say so myself.
It’s sweet, but with the perfect amount of salt to balance it, and then it’s super peanutty, super creamy and so fluffy. AKA, the best frosting ever.
After you have made the frosting, you frost that cake ALL OVER. Get every nook and cranny, then drizzle every inch with that reserved one cup of caramel sauce and cover those moist chocolate cakes in full on deliciousness.
Don’t worry about the frosting looking perfect because you will be covering it in a layer of chocolate and then a thick layer of caramel. Totally insane.
The bummer part to this recipe is that it requires some chill out time in the fridge. The first chill time is short. You just want to keep the frosted cake in the fridge while you make the chocolate coating. It’s no big deal.
But the second chill time is more important. Once you have poured the chocolate coating (which is just chocolate ganache) over the cake, it is best if you can keep the cake in the fridge for at least and hour and half. I recommend overnight because it just make things easier (and less daunting) if you break the cake up into two days, but an hour and half will do too. After the cake is well chilled, it’s time to finish the caramel and make this cake GORGEOUS.
All you are doing is boiling that same caramel from earlier (that I left in the pot) and bringing it to a slightly high temp. It REALLY helps if you have a candy thermometer for this. It just takes the guessing out and makes things a little simpler. It’s not a must, but you know your caramel is ready when you use the thermometer.
Also, it is important to let the caramel cool slightly before pouring it over the cake. This will help the caramel thicken up and also prevent the cake from melting. It’s kind of annoying, but pretty important, so don’t skip it. And then just pour the caramel over the cake, dip the apples and garnish with some salt and peanuts.
The caramel on the cake + apples should never become hard. It’s should firm up into a solid, but stay soft and chewy.
Whew. I know. It’s a lot, but it’s fun and perfect for Halloween. Please don’t be freaked by the amount of time required here. It’s not a hard cake to make, it just needs a little time. And come on, how could it not be worth it??
Words cannot describe just how good this cake is. It’s so good that I wasn’t even complaining that I had to make it twice… in a two-day period. And yes, all the cake somehow managed to get eaten. Everyone from my family, to builders to friends, to random walk-ins loved this cake.
What can I say, it’s just a lovable cake.
Sorry for the giant post with too many words and WAY too many photos, but I am obviously pretty excited about this cake.
Salted Caramel Apple Snickers Cake.
Servings: 16 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 953 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee hot (or warm apple cider)
Salted Caramel
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup honey or corn syrup
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + flakey salt for sprinkling
- 3 your favorite SMALL apples * I used granny smith and honeycrisp
- 6 twigs or wooden sticks
Snickers Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter not the oily kind
- 1/3 cup salted caramel ingredients above
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped + more for garnish
Chocolate Coating
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
To make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch (or 9 inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium size bowl combine the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer) beat together the eggs, canola oil, apple sauce, and vanilla until smooth.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the hot coffee and mix until combined. Batter should be pourable, but not super thin.
- Pour the batter among the 3 cake pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Grab 3 large flat plates, line them with wax or parchment paper and invert the cakes onto the paper lined plates. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Caramel + Frosting
- Place sugar, honey and apple cider in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, boil, without stirring, 9 minutes or until light golden in color. Add the heavy cream, butter, bourbon, and vanilla, slowly stirring into pan. Boil for 10-15 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 210 degrees F., stirring frequently. Remove the sauce from heat and add the salt. Using a heat proof measuring cup scoop out 1 cup of caramel sauce and allow it to cool. Cover the remaining sauce and set aside until the cake is ready (I just covered my pot and set it aside overnight).
- Now make the frosting, add the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar to the bowl of stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer). Beat together until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the peanut butter, 1/3 cup of the cooled caramel sauce and the vanilla, beat, scraping down the sides as needed, another 2 minutes or until there are no streaks. Stir in the chopped peanuts.
To Assemble the Cake
- Place 1 layer of cake, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. Drizzle the cake with a little salted caramel sauce (from the reserved 1 cup, not from the pot of caramel). With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and drizzle with caramel. Spread the frosting evenly on the top. Add the final layer of cake and drizzle with the remaining caramel. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Don't worry about it being too perfect as you will be covering most of it up. Place the cake in fridge.
- To make the chocolate coating. In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and cream. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring between each until melted. Allow the sauce to cool 3-5 minutes, and then pour the sauce onto the middle of the cake and spread to just the sides, allow the sauce to drip down the sides of the cake. Place the cake in the fridge preferably overnight, but at least 1 1/2 hours. You need the chocolate to be completely set and the frosting firm.
To Finish.
- Once the cake is cool, grab that reserved caramel sauce in the pot. Place it back over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads between 220-230 degrees F (I let mine go to 225 and it was perfect). Remove the sauce from the stove and let is cool 15-20 minutes, stirring every so often. Make sure the caramel does not become too stiff. If it stiffens too much you will not be able to dip the apples. While the sauce cools, push the twigs or wooden sticks into the top of the apples. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
- When the caramel has cooled (it should be a little thicker now, but still pourable), pour about half the caramel over the cake and allow it to fall down the sides of the cake. Working quickly, dip the apples into the remaining caramel and place the in the center of cake. Sprinkle the cake with flakey salt and peanuts. Make room in the fridge for the cake and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. The caramel should never get completely hard, but should be more of a soft firm. Once the caramel is firm, store the cake in the fridge until ready to serve. Allow the cake to sit 15 minutes at room temp before serving. Please not that this is a delicate and with all the toppings it is a bit tricky to slice. Your slices will not be perfect.
Notes
*To cut the cake, I recommend removing the apples and then carefully slicing the cake. This is a messy cake guys, the slices will not be perfect. *If you prefer, you do not have to add the caramel apples to the cake. It does make the cake a little hard to cut, so you can either skip them or serve them on the side of the cake. *It is important to use small, light apples. If you use large apples, the cake has a greater chance of caving in.
Seriously? I cannot even handle it. This cake, I love this cake! So please make it – please!
Having a big event for work this fall, with lots of gourmet apples and cider and I plan to make this the shining star, thanks so much for this beautiful piece of art!
I hope you love this and it turns out amazing for you Samantha! Thank you! xTieghan
I am making this and so far the caramel isn’t getting thick. I used light corn syrup should I have used dark. My chocolate ganache is thick and looks sandy. Any suggestions?I feel like throwing it out.
HI! Did you change anything to the recipe? How did it end up? Any more info would be really helpful in advising you. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
I just made this for a Birthday Party Brunch. They were amazed. I got comments like “Best Choc Cake ever!” and “this is a work of art”. THey loved it. This is a PROJECT to be sure but it was worth it and so much fun!!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved this and had the best time making it!
My kids love this cake for their birthdays! Do you think there’s any way to make it as a sheet cake?
Hmm, I supposed you could bake this on a sheet pan, then add the caramel, let that set and then frost. Just adjust the cooking time for the sheet pan. Maybe 40 minutes or so? I am not sure as I have not make the sheet cake. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
My Carmel sauce is like water after 30 minutes of cooking
Hey Cathy, did you change anything about the recipe? Any more details you can give would be helpful in problem solving.
Making this for Thanksgiving but this caramel sauce is waay to thin! There is no way this will coat an apple. Followed directions and used a candy thermometer. Super disappointed and just sent my husband to the store for caramels 🙁
Hi Becky! I am so sorry to hear that. Is there any questions I could help you with? I am not sure what happened exactly. Thank you!
I am making this and so far the caramel isn’t getting thick. I used light corn syrup should I have used dark. My chocolate ganache is thick and looks sandy. Any suggestions?I feel like throwing it out.
Hey Jane, can you give me some details on how you made this? How did you melt the chocolate? When it turns sandy that usually means it has been burned.
Can this cake be made ahead and if so, what is the refrigerated life? I am wanting to make for Thanksgiving and would like to make it about 4 days prior to serving. Also what is the difference in using coffee vs apple cider?
HI! You can make the cake 3 days ahead, keep in the fridge and remove 30 minutes before serving. I prefer using coffee as it highlights the chocolate flavors. The cider will just add sweetness. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I am going to the store to get the ingredients for this cake! In the comments people speak about bourbon, but I don’t see it in the ingredients. What am I missing? I hope it does have bourbon!
Hey Melinda! You can use 1/4 cup of bourbon and 3/4 cup apple cider for the caramel. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Hi! This cake looks amazing and I’m going to be attempting it for a Thanksgiving celebration this weekend! I do have a two hour car trip.. do you think it will make it or should I save it for another occasion? Thanks!!
Hey Julia! I think if you chill the cake before the drive and keep out of the sun then it should be just fine. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I’d love to make this cake but I have a nephew with a peanut allergy. What would you suggest as a substitute? Thank you!
HI! I recommend omitting the peanuts and using almond butter or cashew butter in place of the peanut butter. The recipe will be just a delicious without them. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Hello,
thank you so much for this recipe! I made this cake for halloween with a friend. It was a complicated and long process, but the result was amazing! The only thing we would change is to use more apples. Maybe very thin slices between the layers to give it a little bit more freshness. Otherwise it really was a feast and our friends were amazed!
♡ Daniela
I am so glad you liked this recipe, Daniela! I hope it turns out more amazing next time with your changes! Thank you!
This recipe was indeed the bomb. Huge hit as a baby shower cake. The frosting was incredible, and I love the addition of the applesauce and spices that you don’t really notice, but gives so much depth to the flavor. A+
Thank you so much Tina!
Long, long ago (probably back when this recipe was first released) I came across this page and knew I had to someday make this cake for my birthday (which is October 17th, funny enough). Well, this year was finally the year! As I’m sitting here eating a frozen leftover piece of cake I realize I have to document my experience. This is going to be a long but informative review so stay with me.
*Modifications*
Cake:
– sugar reduced to 1 + 1/2 cups
– sweetened apple sauce instead of unsweetened (this was a straight up error)
– apple juice instead of coffee/cider
Caramel substituions:
– earth balance vegan butter
– 1 can coconut milk (480mL) instead of 2 cups heavy cream
– apple juice instead of the bourbon
– raw honey
Frosting substitutions:
– tofutti cream cheese
– natural smooth Pb (yeah it’s oily, @ me)
– earth balance vegan butter
.. And for the chocolate ganache I just winged it. Double boiled some unsweetened baking chocolate with some coconut oil and added some coconut milk powder to make it creamy and about 1 tblsp of the salted caramel to make it just a touch sweet.
Assembly :
I sliced the apples, dipped the slices in caramel, and arranged them to cover the top of the cake
*Explanation*
I am lactose intolerant, so I had to make substitutions for the dairy. If you want to make it vegan, you can probably also use your favourite egg replacer for the cake, and follow a vegan recipe for caramel. I used apple juice in place of the apple cider and alcohol because I don’t drink and couldn’t find a friend to take care of the leftovers. I also reduced the sugar in the cake because HOLY CRAP, A SUGAR TO FLOUR RATIO OF 1:1?! Tieghan! Girl, I am not big on sugary sweets but even my friends couldn’t handle my cake with the reduced sugar modifactions! Way way way too sweet on the cake there. My rule of thumb for cakes is if it’s going to have sweet toppings, I try to make things bitter to balance it out. Dark chocolate bittersweet cake, sweet Pb frosting, bittersweet chocolate ganache, then SWEET AF CARAMEL THAT IS LITERALLY RICH HONEY.
I chose MacIntosh apples to slice and arrange on top to lend a bit of tart to each bite, and stuck crushed peanuts up the sides of the cake because if you’re like me and can’t frost to save your life you’re gonna need something to cover up that mess.
*Results, Comments, etc*
I was a hug fan of the cake. It is subtly spiced, deeply chocolatey and perfectly sweetened with my sugar Modifications and accidental inclusion of sweetened applesauce. One complaint I do have though is that there is so much vanilla required for this recipe! Like holy crap, I used a third of a new and expensive bottle of vanilla on this thing. I don’t believe that so much is required for this recipe, and in the future I’d reduce the amount.
The frosting tasted great albeit a little sweet and buttery, but since I used natural peanut butter the consistency wasn’t quite right, which I expected anywho. If anyone else is looking for a healthier modification as well, I’d suggest trying powdered peanut butter, keeping the dry ingredients on hand to add as necessary and per taste.
The caramel was a lot richer (fattier) than I expected, and the consistency wasn’t quite right for me, which I know is probably due to the ingredients. I was surprised that no matter how long I left my mix boiling on the stove, it couldn’t quite reduce to the candy caramel I used to know and love :'( next time I need to make vegan caramel I’ll just follow a recipe that doesn’t use honey, since my caramel just ended up tasting like buttery honey rather than caramel.
I highly recommend slicing tart apples and arranging them on the top of the cake! It adds a much needed fresh and tart taste to every bite. I dipped mine in caramel and then put them on top, which preserved the freshness. If I were to make it again I would also put apple slices in between the layers of the cake. Also I have to note that since there is so much butter and oil in the frosting, ganache, and caramel, I’d substitute some of the cake oil for more applesauce. That’s a bit more of a personal preference, though.
Aaaand I think that’s it. To any readers who got this far, I hope you’ve found something helpful in my review. Overall it was a delicious cake, and I think the reduction of sweetness in certain elements really helps. Thanks to Tieghan for posting this recipe and keeping me salivating for 4 years!
Hi Ameris! I am so glad you liked this cake and left modifications for others that cannot eat dairy! I will take note of your comment for future recipes, thank you so much!
It does not state how many eggs to use in the cake. Dying to make this.
Hey Jules, the eggs are listed just below the all-spice. You need 3 eggs. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan