Caramel Apple Pound Cake with Brown Sugar Pecan Glaze
This caramel apple pound cake is like regular pound cake, but with two major upgrades in the batter: tender caramel apples and warm spices. This pound cake is beautiful right out of the oven but topping with a buttery caramel pecan glaze makes it deluxe.
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Carmel Apple Pound Cake! Sorry, I’ll calm down. I just really, really love pound cake—it’s buttery and soft, rich yet subtle, sweet but adaptable to any flavor. Which brings me to this newest incarnation: a proper pound cake studded with soft, gooey caramelized apples. Oooo, this is such a great recipe!
This caramel apple cake is grand in every sense of the word. It features the aforementioned apples cooked until golden and sweet with butter and brown sugar. These are folded into a traditional pound cake batter aromatic with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Finally this delicious recipe is finished with another layer of caramel in the form of a toasted pecan glaze.
The nice thing however, is the baking of this glorious dessert is actually fairly straightforward with no complicated ingredients or techniques. You can make it during apple season (my favorite time of year) or anytime. A slice of cake is the perfect weekend treat with a mug of hot coffee or fig leaf tea.
Tell Me About This Caramel Apple Pound Cake
- Texture: Lots of butter and sour cream makes the cake extra soft and rich with melt-in-your-mouth caramel apples and the toasty crunch of pecans on top. These extra touches make it a family favorite for Thanksgiving and Easter.
- Flavor: Think the warm spice flavors of apple pie and caramel with a little tang from the sour cream. I appreciate that we’re using tart apples like Granny Smith apples that have a good amount of sour. This offsets the sweetness of the cake. If you’d like to double down on the caramel notes, swap the apples with Bosc Pears instead.
- Ease: The few components means this caramel apple poundcake isn’t quite as easy as say, my no-bowl chocolate cake. However, if you’re a comfortable baker, the process won’t seem arduous. I’d say this is an intermediate recipe.
- Time: The caramel apples come together quickly. Then comes mixing and baking the cake, letting it cool and finally making the glaze. Set aside a couple of hours from start to finish.
What Exactly Is Pound Cake?
Traditionally a pound cake recipe was made with a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs, and a pound of flour. Hence the name.
This recipe uses less flour (a pound of flour makes for a really dry cake) and also incorporates lots of flavor from the caramel apples, warm spices, a little bit of vanilla extract and the lovely tang of sour cream.
Overview: Making Carmel Apple Pound Cake
- Make caramel apples. Combine apples, butter, and sugar in a large frying pan and cook until the butter, sugar, and juices from the apples have made a caramel sauce and the apples are tender. Transfer them to a large bowl and let them cool.
- Prepare the oven and the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper so it hangs over the long sides by at least an inch.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Beat the butter and sugar together. Make sure you are using room temperature butter and beat it with the sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until it is very light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs. One at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each additional egg.
- Add flour mixture and sour cream in batches. Fold in 2 cups of the caramel apples. Save the rest for serving with the cake. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Then cool completely on a wire rack before topping with glaze.
- Make the caramel glaze. Top the cooled cake with the glaze. Let sit on the cooling rack until set, then serve.
Tricks To Making Perfect Pound Cake
- Room Temperature Ingredients: It is essential that you use room temperature butter, eggs, and sour cream. This allows for proper emulsification and creates a smooth batter.
- Creaming Butter and Sugar: Take your time creaming the butter and sugar together. This incorporates air into the batter, which is essential for a tender cake. It will take up to 5 minutes of beating on medium speed to really reach peak fluffiness.
- Don’t Overmix: Once the flour has been added to the batter mix on low speed and only until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make the cake tough.
- Check for Doneness: A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs. If the toothpick is completely clean, the cake is likely dry and overbaked.
- Use the proper pan: Traditionally a pound cake is made in a loaf pan but you can turn this into a caramel apple bundt cake by baking it in a bundt pan instead.
Decoration & Topping Ideas
I love the brown sugar pecan glaze on this cake but it certainly isn’t the only option. Here are some other ideas:
- Cream cheese frosting (try this recipe from my brown butter banana cupcakes)
- Salted bourbon glaze from this chocolate chip banana bundt cake
- Make a double batch of the caramel apples and serve slices of the cake with a spoonful of apples on top
- Drizzle salted caramel sauce over the top like we do on our pear cranberry crisp
- Serve the cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
More Favorite Fall Recipes To Try:
- Roasted Squash Waffles with Spiced Squash Butter
- Crunchy Cranberry Almond Granola
- Roasted Delicata Squash Pizza with Burrata
Caramel Apple Pound Cake with Brown Sugar Pecan Glaze
This caramel apple pound cake is like regular pound cake, but with two major upgrades in the dough: tender caramel apples and warm spices. This pound cake is beautiful right out of the oven but topping with a buttery brown sugar-pecan glaze makes it deluxe.
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Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (divided)
- 5 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples, about 3 large apples
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
- vanilla ice cream, for serving
For the brown sugar pecan glaze
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the 5 cups chopped apples and the 3/4 cup dark brown sugar. Stir to combine and continue cooking until apples are tender and caramelized. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5 1/2in (1 pound) loaf pan and line with parchment paper so it is hanging over by an inch on the long sides.
- Combine with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, 2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger, 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk to break up any lumps until evenly mixed.
- Beat the remaining 12 tablespoons of butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy, about 2 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula.
- Add the 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and beat at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop and scrape down the edges of the bowl again.
- Add the 3 eggs (1 at a time), beating well and scraping down the bowl between additions. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the 1/4 cup sour cream; beat on low until just combined
- Fold in 1 1/2 cups of the caramelized apples in with a rubber spatula. Do not add all the apples. Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Save the remaining apples for serving.
- Bake for 1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes or until the top is golden and cracked and a skewer inserted in the center comes with a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer cake to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes before pulling out of the pan to cool completely.
For the glaze:
- Melt the 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. Add the 1/2 cup brown sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until thick and smooth. Gradually stir in the 1/2 cup heavy cream and bring to a boil.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick and bubbling, 3 minutes. Stir in the 2 teaspoons of vanilla, the 1/4 cup toasted pecans, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Let cool slightly so it thickens enough to spread over the cake without it running off.
- Spoon the glaze all over the cake. Let it set then slice and serve with vanilla ice cream and remaining caramel apples.
Notes
- Flour measurement: I use the scoop and sweep method of measuring flour. Meaning, I scoop the measuring cup into the bin of flour so it is overflowing with flour, then use the back of a butter knife to even it out and sweep off any extra.
- Cake cooling: Allow the cake to cool completely and the glaze to cool slightly to prevent the glaze from just sliding off the sides.
- Glaze: If the glaze cools too much and is not pourable, reheat gently, while whisking over low heat. If it separates during this process, add a little more cream and whisk to bring it back together.
- Apple-nut cake: Add 1/2 cup toasted pecans or walnuts (chopped) to the cake batter if you’d like.
