Apple Spice Cake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Published on October 01, 2025
Quick Summary
This moist and tender Apple Spice Cake is packed with warm fall spices, shredded apple, and rich brown sugar flavor. Topped with a silky salted caramel cream cheese frosting, it’s the perfect cozy dessert for gatherings, holidays, or just because! Easy to make in a 9×13 pan, this fall cake is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
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You guys. THIS CAKE. It is everything I love about fall baking—cozy, comforting, easy to make, and absolutely packed with flavor. This apple spice cake is my kind of dessert: baked in a 9×13-inch pan (yes, super easy!), perfectly spiced, incredibly moist, and topped with the most dreamy salted caramel cream cheese frosting.
The cake itself is soft and tender, thanks to applesauce and freshly grated apple. And the spice blend? Spot on. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves… it smells like fall in the best way. But what really takes this cake over the top is that swirl of salted caramel in the frosting. It’s sweet, salty, creamy, and swirled in ribbons that not only look beautiful but taste amazing in every bite.
You can use my homemade salted caramel sauce (so good!) or keep things simple with your favorite store-bought brand. Either way, caramel + apple = total perfection. And bonus? This cake tastes even better the next day, making it the perfect make-ahead dessert for parties, potlucks, and holidays.
Add it to your Thanksgiving menu, bake it on a cozy weekend, or bring it to your next fall get-together. No one can resist it!
Cake Ingredients (with Helpful Notes)
For the Apple Spice Cake:
- All-Purpose Flour: Be sure to spoon and level it for accuracy.
- Brown sugar: Adds deep flavor and extra moisture. Always pack when measuring.
- Applesauce: It makes the cake super moist! Use unsweetened applesauce.
- Oil: Avocado or vegetable oil both work great!
- Buttermilk: Adds a slight tang and keeps the texture soft.
- Eggs: Room temperature helps them mix in evenly.
- Grated apple: I love Honeycrisp or Granny Smith. No need to peel!
- Warm spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves bring all the cozy vibes.
- Vanilla extract: A must for depth of flavor.
For the Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream cheese: Use full-fat, brick-style and let it soften.
- Butter: Also softened so it blends easily with the cream cheese.
- Confectioner’s sugar: Add gradually for smooth, fluffy frosting.
- Salted caramel sauce: Homemade or store-bought both work (use what you love!).
- Vanilla + salt: These round out the frosting flavor beautifully.
Tips for Making Apple Spice Cake
- Use room temperature ingredients: Eggs and buttermilk for the cake and cream cheese and butter for the frosting! Ingredients mix more easily and evenly when not cold.
- Make sure your spices are fresh: Spices don’t last forever! If your cinnamon or nutmeg has been sitting in the back of the cabinet for a few years, it’s probably lost a lot of its flavor. For the best-tasting cake, use fresh, fragrant spices, you’ll taste the difference in every bite.
- Use a box grater to shred your apples so they melt right into the batter.
- Don’t overmix! Stir until just combined for the softest texture.
- Test for doneness around 35 minutes with a toothpick. Don’t over bake.
- Cool completely before frosting so the cream cheese layer stays thick and luscious.
- Use a butter knife or offset spatula for perfect caramel swirls: Gently drag it through the frosting after drizzling the caramel, don’t overdo it or it will fully mix in instead of giving you those gorgeous ribbons.
Apple Spice Cake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup avocado oil or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated apple, Honeycrisp or Granny smith
For the salted caramel cream cheese frosting:
- 8 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup salted caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, applesauce, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the grated apple.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely.
- Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt; mix to combine. Add the confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Mix until smooth.
- With a spatula, spread cream cheese frosting evenly on cooled cake. Spoon caramel over the cake, then use a butter knife to gently swirl it into the frosting, creating large, ribbon-like swirls. Cut into pieces and serve.
Notes
- Refrigerate: Store tightly covered for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temp before serving…or I think it’s good cold, right out of the fridge!
- Make-Ahead: It tastes even better the next day! Perfect for prepping ahead of time.
- Freeze: You can freeze the unfrosted cake for up to 2 months. Thaw, frost, and serve!
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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