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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!
I made this cake yesterday for my sister-in-law’s birthday and people won’t stop talking about it! It was so fun to make and I went a little above and beyond on the apples and decor of it. But it was probably one of the best tasting cakes and I love that it wasn’t too sweet, but the mix of the cake and the caramel was spot on! I will absolutely make this again and again!
Hi Joleen! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! Happy Birthday to your sister-in-law! xTieghan
Looks like one of the biggest supermarkets in the UK totally stole your deco ideas!
https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/spiced-pumpkin-toffee-apple-cake.html#cFH2tLxs2Xqbe8y4.99
(Yours is prettier 😉
Hi Christy! Thank you for letting me know, I will check it out! xTieghan
I made this cake for my birthday because it just looked amazing and… everybody liked it!
I did make some changes: I reduced the sugar in the chocolate cake with 1/2 cup, I used apple cider instead of coffee, I used golden syrup instead of honey for the caramel and I used only half of the powdered sugar for the frosting. Also I halved the amount of ganache, and probably also used about half of the caramel. I added peanuts in between the layers instead of adding them to the frosting.
The chocolate cakes are very rich and soft. The frosting is also great. My caramel stayed a bit to soft and dripped down the cake a bit too much. I boiled the caramel until it was the given temperature, which did not take 15 minutes but rather 1 minute or so (both times). However, it still tasted great, just a bit more messy, but that is okay!
Thank you so much Nadine! I am really happy this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I can’t even complete the recipe at this point because it is incomplete. I saw several people complain about the caramel step; and I should have heeded those warnings and found my own recipe for salted caramel, before wasting all of those ingredients. Where is the measurement for the butter you say add? My sauce never got thick. I boiled for way more than 10 minutes. Temperature got up to 219. That amount of sugar and liquid seems off. The instructions are incomplete. Maybe you should separate each portion, instead of writing the frosting and caramel parts together. Now,unfortunately, I need to go to the store and buy more whipping cream, so I can get the frosting done. But I am resolved to find someone else’s caramel to make that way I can at least complete it.
So far, I would give this recipe 1 star for the caramel portion, but I’ll come back and rate the entire cake after I find a decent caramel recipe.
Hi Moni, I am so sorry, I am not sure how this happened, but the butter was moved too far down in the ingredient list. You need 1/2 cup butter for the caramel and NO butter for the chocolate ganache. Recipe fixed and should be easier for you to follow. Again, so sorry for the trouble. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Happy Holidays!! xTieghan
There is no butter listed in the ingredients for making the caramel sauce, but it said to add butter in the directions
Hi yes! I will fix this! Thank you! xTieghan
HI! You need 1/2 cup of butter. Recipe fixed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Just wondering if I’m able to omit the cocoa powder from the cake and sub in flour? Or cake flour? I would really like to make this as just an apple spice cake, I was hoping to still use this cake recipe and just not make it chocolate. Thoughts?
Hey Kay,
I would give one of these apple cake recipes a try:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/spiced-pecan-apple-cider-doughnut-cake/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/cardamom-cognac-apple-cake/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chai-spiced-apple-ricotta-galette/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
On the recipe there’s not butter listed under caramel but the instructions say add butter. How much butter do I use? Making right now for our thanksgiving. Can’t wait.
Hey Courtney! You need 1/2 cup of butter. Recipe fixed!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Hi! This is my second year making the cake and I never printed out the recipe and now it looks like their isn’t a measurement for the amount of butter in the caramel sauce. Can you let me know how much butter to add! Thank you!
Hey Sarina! You need 1/2 cup of butter. Recipe is fixed and back to normal now. So sorry about that! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
I am doing a practice run for Thanksgiving and am confused because the instructions for the caramel state add butter but the ingredient breakdown doesn’t have it listed. Similarly, the instruction to make the chocolate doesn’t state butter but it is listed above under the chocolate coating. Please advise! 🙂 so far it’s beautiful but I clearly need butter somewhere :). Thanks!!
Hey Jill! I am so sorry, I am not sure how this happened, but the butter was moved too far down in the ingredient list. You need 1/2 cup butter for the caramel and NO butter for the chocolate ganache. Recipe fixed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Hi! Would it be possible to substitute store bought caramel sauce? I am nowhere near an experienced baker and just know it will turn out horrible. Haha!
Hey Ashley! Store-bought will work great for the cake, but don’t use on the apples as it will not stick to the apple. Just skip that part! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Where and when is the Bourbon added?
HI! The bourbon is added to the caramel sauce. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Awesome cake ! Cooking it again on Halloween, but cider will be a problem for one of my guests… Can I replace it with apple juice, or will it affect the caramel’s texture ?
Hi Louis! I am sure apple juice will be just fine. Great idea! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Hi there, we have a peanut allergy so I bought the only almond butter I could find – it says that the oil will naturally separate. It isn’t separated currently. Will it be okay?
Hey Bobi,
I’m sure the almond butter with work just fine. Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
One remark mentioned using Bourbon, do a substitute the apple cider with the same amount of Boubon?
Hey Kate! 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!
Help I made this cake yesterday and finishing with the Carmel topping today but my Carmel is so runny and looks nothing like yours how can I thicken it up.
I am sorry this did not work too well for you. I would say you could try simmering it for a bit longer. Are there any other questions I could help you with? Thank you!
Just came across this cake in a buzzfeed article, Am I absolutely crazy that I have never baked a cake from scratch before and yet I want to start with this one?? I’m so scared but I’m determined to take my time and do the best I can! It HAS to be this cake and no other will suffice. Amazing recipe and photography!! I’m in awe and will cry if (slash when) I fail at this ?
No don’t say that!! I am sure this cake will turn out amazing for you, Misha! And I hope it does! Let me know if you have any questions as well! xTieghan
Looks amazing, but we can’t buy heavy cream in The Netherlands. Would standard whipping cream work for the caramel sauce and chocolate sauce?
Hi Evelyn! Standard whipping cream works great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan