Just before Thanksgiving a co-worker mentioned that she was going to make Caramel Apple Cheesecake bars. They sounded delicious, but I wasn’t feeling the “cheesecake” part of her desert. I love cheesecake, but had just made my White Chocolate Raspberry Oreo Cheesecake Brownies, and wanted to try something new. So I searched the internet looking for a recipe, but couldn’t find one. I could find parts of different recipes that I liked, but not one recipe. So, naturally, I decided to create my own recipe! Using a yellow box cake mix as my base, I added the parts of other recipes and created what is an amazing (and sweet!) cake. If you have a holiday party coming up, this is your recipe. I’ve never had another cake like it – it’s delicious, original, and pretty easy to make. Try it once and I guarantee you’ll want to make it again!
You will need:
Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix (18.5 oz)
1 box vanilla pudding mix
1 can apple pie filling (21 oz)
2 eggs
1/3 cup caramel topping
Frosting/Topping: (from Taste of Home)
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 1/2 cup Confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 Tbsp milk
Step 1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (liberally) two 8″ round cake pans.
Step 2 – In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, apple pie filling, eggs, and caramel. Mix on low speed for 2 full minutes. This will leave some small chunks of apple in the batter, but if you prefer it be completely smooth, use mixer for longer or at a higher speed.
Step 3 – Pour batter into 8″ pans and bake for 40 minutes. Batter will be thick. Check the cake before removing from the oven – cake should be golden brown and spring back when touched. Use a knife or toothpick to test the center of the batter.
Step 4 – Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Step 5 – To make the frosting, beat the butter on medium until light and fluffy. Then add in the Confectioners sugar, vanilla, and milk. Mix on medium for 2 minutes. Layer and frost cake.
Step 6 – Top cake however you’d like! Add chopped nuts, fruit, or maybe even more caramel!
Just some tips about this recipe… Forty minutes in the oven probably sounds like a really long time, but it needs every minute. I made this cake over the weekend and the first one I made fell because it was only in for 32 minutes. Every minute counts with this cake! Also, if you are going to add caramel topping to this cake, make sure you top it right before you plan to eat it or leave for your gathering. The topping looks delicious, but after about 12 hours it will start to soak into the cake. Finally, although it looks nice, this cake doesn’t really need the caramel on the top (and it could actually make it too sweet for some). Next time I think I’m going to frost it with buttercream and try a combination of apple slices with chopped nuts.
This is one of my new favorite cakes – and I love that it has pieces of apple in it! Enjoy!
