4 Ingredient Caramel Apple Cake
This caramel apple cake is soft, moist, tender and full of apple and caramel flavor. It needs just 4 ingredients and is an easy one-bowl recipe that takes about 5 minutes to prepare. The cake can be served as a simple quick dessert or decorated to bring to a brunch or other event.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (185 g) unsweetened applesauce, can use cinnamon or plain
- 1 (13.4 oz/380 g) can dulce de leche
- 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ¼ cups (160 g) self-rising flour, see note before starting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease the interior of a 7-inch cake pan with cooking oil spray. Line the bottom with a parchment paper round. You can use either a springform or a one-piece round cake pan.
- In a large bowl, mix together the applesauce, dulce de leche and melted butter until evenly combined. Add the flour and fold it in with a spatula until flour is completely incorporated and there are no pockets of unmixed flour and no large flour/starch clumps. Make sure to only use a spatula to mix and not a whisk or beater, otherwise you will overmix the batter. The batter will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared cake pan and spread it evenly across with your spatula. (If you are decorating with fresh apple slices, gently add them on top now.) Bake cake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The surface of the cake should also bounce back if you press on it lightly.
- Allow the cake to cool for about 20 minutes and then release it from the springform pan if you used a springform pan. If using a one-piece cake pan, invert the cake onto a plate and then flip it back upright onto another plate. Let the cake finish cooling before serving or decorating. I drizzled some salted caramel topping on my cake for decoration right before serving.
Notes
- Self-rising flour amount. There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup (30g)) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup (30 g)). Brands like King Arthur Flour and White Lily make the low protein flour. Brands like Gold Medal and most store/generic brands contain a regular protein amount. The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, I tested it with Gold Medal self-rising flour* (regular amount of protein). Please use a self-rising flour with 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup (30 g). This cake will not turn out correctly otherwise. You can also make your own self-rising flour with the recipe below.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Homemade self-rising flour: Whisk together 1.5 cups all purpose flour, 2 and 1/4 tsp baking powder and 3/8 tsp salt. Measure out 1 1/4 cups for the recipe. Do not use the full amount. Make sure your all purpose flour has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Most brands in the US contain this amount but there are some brands with higher protein (4 grams per 1/4 cup) such as King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill. You do not want a high protein flour for this cake. It will make the batter too dry.
- Dulce de leche is not traditional caramel sauce but it gives this cake its caramel flavor. See the post for a full explanation of dulce de leche and why it is used in this recipe. 13.4 oz refers to the weight and not volume.
- Make sure to use unsweetened applesauce. You can use either plain or cinnamon. Cinnamon will add more flavor to the cake but if you don't like cinnamon flavor you can use plain applesauce.
- Optional Decorations: I added thinly sliced apples on top of the batter in a simple flower/spiral pattern right before baking. I also drizzled the cake with salted caramel topping (this is the thick kind of caramel sauce that comes in a jar) before serving.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 277kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 285mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 28g, NET CARBS: 41
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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