This Apple Toffee Cake is the perfect fall cake. It’s a new take an the classic poke cake but with apples, caramel and toffee bits all covered with cream cheese frosting. It’s made from scratch, but easy to put together and it makes such a moist cake your family will love.
Hey there! Before you scroll, there’s lot’s of important stuff in the post!…including the FAQ section, which may answer any questions you might have about this recipe. Enjoy!
This cake is THE cake for fall. I mean it’s got all the elements of fall like apples, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, cream cheese. How could you go wrong with that?
So, you’ve heard about poke cakes, right? Well it’s when you’ve baked a cake and while it’s warm you poke holes in it then pour a glaze of some type over it to soak in. Well that’s what we’re doing here and it makes a cake SO moist.
LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE INGREDIENTS IN THE CARAMEL APPLE TOFFEE CAKE:
Apples: You could probably use any type of baking apples, but I really like the combination of honey crisp and granny smith. It’s a good combination of sweet and tart.
Toffee bits: This adds richness and flavor to your cake and a little crunch to the top. I just used the toffee bits that come in a bag over by the chocolate chips in the grocery store. I got the plain toffee bits, not the chocolate covered ones.
Caramel sauce: This is for the glaze you’ll use that will soak into the cake. I didn’t make my own caramel sauce, but you can if you feel motivated. I just used caramel sauce from a jar and it worked great.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE MIXING METHOD FOR THE CARAMEL APPLE TOFFEE CAKE:
The mixing method for this cake is pretty straight forward and uncomplicated. Essentially you’re just mixing your liquid ingredients, then adding in the dry, mixing it, then adding in the apples. Easy peasy.
TIPS & FAQS FOR MAKING THE CARAMEL APPLE TOFFEE CAKE:
I used a combination of honey crisp and granny smith, but you could probably use any type you like although I probably wouldn’t use red delicious apples because they don’t bake very well.
Try to chop them into about ½ inch cubes. You don’t have to be exact though.
Toffee bits are just crushed toffee. At the grocery store, you can find it in a bag over by the chocolate chips. There are usually two different types, the chocolate covered toffee bits and the plain toffee bits. For this recipe, I used the plain toffee bits.
No, you don’t have to use them if you can’t find them, or just don’t want to add them. It does give a lot of flavor and sweetness to the cake though.
I would suggest using it because it really lends flavor, sweetness and moisture to the cake.
They don’t work the same, so you want to use baking soda.
You just want to mix everything until it’s well incorporated.
Don’t add any liquid. The batter is supposed to be thick. When the apples bake inside the cake, they’ll give the cake moisture.
This will help your cake not to stick to the pan.
This allows the caramel sauce to soak in better.
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SUPPLIES USED FOR THIS CAKE:
Ok, let’s get to the recipe!
**By the way, this recipe was developed and tested using volume measurements (cups etc.). I do this because most people are used to measuring, instead of weighing. You may use the metric converter button to see the weight (gram) measurements. Those numbers are estimates on weight. Your results may vary a bit if you use the weight measurements.
Caramel Apple Toffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted (1 stick)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups peeled chopped apples (A combo of honeycrisp & granny smith apples are tasty or use the apples you have available.)
- ⅔ cup toffee bits (not the chocolate covered toffee bits)
For the glaze:
- ½ cup caramel sauce (can use store bought or homemade)
For the frosting:
- 1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temp (1 stick)
- 1 tbsp caramel sauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp milk (optional)
Instructions
For the cake:
- Spray or grease a 13×9 inch glass pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Peel and chop your apples into about ½ inch cubes. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, oil, sugars, eggs and extracts and whisk well.
- Add in the dry ingredients (not the apples and toffee yet) to wet ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or an electric mixer. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
- Batter will be thick.
- Stir in the chopped apples and ⅔ cup of toffee bits.
- Spread evenly into a 13×9 inch pan.
- Bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake will come out with a few crumbs on it.
- Once baked, cool on a wire rack for about ten minutes.
- After ten minutes (while the cake is still warm) poke holes into the cake with a wooden skewer.
- Warm ½ cup of caramel sauce in the microwave for about 30 seconds and smooth over the cake.
- Let the sauce soak into the cake and allow the cake to cool completely, then cover with frosting.
For the frosting:
- Add cream cheese, butter and 1 tbsp caramel sauce to a mixing bowl and mix on medium to medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add in the extract, cinnamon and confectioner’s sugar and mix until smooth.
- If frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk or cream and mix well.
- Spread onto cooled cake. Sprinkle leftover toffee bits onto cake.
Notes
Set it out about 20 minutes before serving, so it can come closer to room temperature. Nutritional values are an estimate. Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post. *This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
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