Caramel apple cake
Serves: 10-12
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Photograph by Karen Thomas
Caramel apple cake
Winner of our best fruity bake as voted by you from the magazine's 25-year history. Great British Bake Off finalist and Sainsbury’s magazine contributor Miranda Gore Browne created this apple-and-caramel showstopper in February 2015
Serves: 10-12
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
556Kcal
Fat
33gr
Saturates
19gr
Carbs
62gr
Sugars
49gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
0.4gr
Miranda Gore Browne
Finalist of the very first series of GBBO, Miranda has since written two books packed full of decorated biscuits and cakes. She now runs The Kitchen School at her home in the West Sussex countryside with classes in cookery, baking and homemaking.
See more of Miranda Gore Browne’s recipes
Miranda Gore Browne
Finalist of the very first series of GBBO, Miranda has since written two books packed full of decorated biscuits and cakes. She now runs The Kitchen School at her home in the West Sussex countryside with classes in cookery, baking and homemaking.
See more of Miranda Gore Browne’s recipes
Ingredients
- 500g Bramley cooking apples, peeled and chopped into 2cm pieces
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 225g soft unsalted butter
- 225g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 200g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 50g ground almonds
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- apple crisps (see Tip), optional
- 2 tbsp fudge pieces, to decorate (optional)
For the caramel buttercream
- 100g soft unsalted butter
- 200g icing sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp caramel (from a tin or jar)
- 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
For the caramel icing
- 75g unsalted butter
- 75g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp caramel (from a tin or jar)
Step by step
Get ahead
Bake the sponges the day before; store in an airtight container. Assemble the cake 2 hours before eating.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed round sandwich tins.
- Toss the apple pieces in the lemon juice; put to one side. In a large bowl, beat the soft butter, sugar and lemon zest, then gradually add the eggs, mixing well between each addition. Fold in the flour, baking powder, almonds and mixed spice.
- Drain the apple pieces and stir into the mixture. Divide equally between the tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the caramel buttercream, beat all the ingredients together until combined.
- To make the caramel icing, put all the ingredients into a pan and stir until melted and smooth. Transfer to a bowl, then leave to cool for 10 minutes.
-
To assemble, spread the buttercream evenly over one of the cakes, then top with the other cake. Spoon over the icing so it dribbles down the sides. Decorate with apple crisps and fudge pieces, if you like.Tip
To make apple crisps, cut a Pink Lady apple across the middle into 20 paper-thin slices; place on a lined baking tray. Mix 1/2 tbsp each of lemon juice and clear honey and brush over both sides of the slices. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 140°C, fan 120°C, gas 1, until lightly golden and dried; leave to cool.
