It’s always fascinating to see which recipes are most popular when a new cookbook is released. When Plantcakes: Fancy + Everyday Vegan Cakes for Everyone came out, I was not surprised that this ridiculously delicious apple caramel cake with oatmeal cookie crumbles blasted straight to the top! Woohoo! Honestly, I rarely crave cake after making them for almost two decades, but this one – this one takes the cake! Your guests will truly NEVER guess this cake is vegan!
This apple caramel cake hits all the right notes:
It’s so moist and tender, with grated apple and applesauce and gentle spices
Layered with creamy dreamy salted caramel buttercream
Topped with sweet and salty oatmeal cookie crumbles that are super addictive
Drizzled with more salted caramel (and, I like to DOUSE my slice with even MORE caramel!)
How to make the apple caramel cake
There are a few components to this cake, but you can make them in steps! I start by making the salted caramel, which can be made days ahead and stored in a jar. The oatmeal cookie crumble is a snap to make, too – all the ingredients go in one bowl and are baked on a parchment-paper covered sheet pan. The cookie crumble can also be made in advance, stored in an airtight container! (You’ll want to sprinkle this crumble on all sorts of things – it’s so good with yogurt and fresh fruit, for instance!)
Once the apple cake layers are baked, you can set them to cool on wire racks while you prepare the salted caramel buttercream. Reserve some salted caramel to drip all over the finished cake. I love what my sweet friend Camilla Wynne did to hers, too – a swirly rosette of buttercream on top of a beautiful pile of cookie crumbles!
Apple Caramel Cake with Oatmeal Cookie Crumbles
ingredients
For The Salted Caramel
- 200 grams granulated white sugar, 1 cup
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
- 2 tbsp water
- 125 ml plant-based milk, 1/2 cup
- 2 tbsp plant-based butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
For The Apple Cake
- 350 grams all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 cups
- 2 tsp tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 250 ml vegetable oil, 1 cup
- 140 ml unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup
- 150 grams light brown sugar, 3/4 cup
- 100 grams granulated white sugar, 1/2 cup
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 300 grams grated apple, 2 cups
For The Oatmeal Cookie Crumbles
- 75 grams granulated white sugar, 5 tbsp
- 75 grams rolled oats, 3/4 cup
- 46 grams all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 60 grams unsalted plant-based butter in brick form, room temperature, 4 tbsp
For The Salted Caramel Buttercream
- 392 grams unsalted plant-based butter in brick form, room temperature, 1 3/4 cups
- 260 grams icing sugar, sifted + more as needed, 2 cups
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 185 ml salted caramel, 3/4 cup
instructions
Make The Apple Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare three 7- × 2-inch round cake pans by spritzing them with vegetable oil and lining them with parchment paper circles cut to size. Spray again with oil to prevent sticking.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the vegetable oil, applesauce, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing until combined, 15–30 seconds. Fold in the grated apple.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared pans. Give the pans a light tap on the counter to reduce any air bubbles. Bake for 22–25 minutes, until the cake edges are lightly browned, the cake springs back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only moist crumbs.Let the cakes cool completely in their pans set on top of wire racks.
Make The Salted Caramel
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the sugar, corn syrup, and water over high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Let the mixture boil without stirring until it reaches a medium amber color, about 10 minutes or so. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the plant milk (it will bubble up ferociously, so go slowly). Whisk in the butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Let cool completely; it will thicken as it cools.
- Use ¾ cup (185ml) salted caramel for the buttercream (below), and reserve the rest for decorating the cake with caramel drips. Leftover caramel will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks—it is delicious drizzled on ice cream or stirred into yogurt.
Make The Oatmeal Cookie Crumbles
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, rolled oats, flour, and salt. Sprinkle in the butter, toss to coat, and then mix until well incorporated.
- Using a spatula, spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Let cool completely in its pan set on top of a wire rack.
- Once cooled, break it up into cookie crumbles with your hands or lightly bash them with a rolling pin.
Make The Salted Caramel Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract, and ¾ cup (185ml) of the salted caramel on low speed to combine, using a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. If the frosting seems too loose, add 1 tbsp of icing sugar at a time to thicken it until it is creamy and spreadable, being careful not to over-sweeten.
Assemble and Decorate The Cake
- Frost and fill the cake, using your offset spatula to create a divot or "dug-out pool" in the center of the buttercream to add salted caramel to the cake layers. Frost the exterior of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream and let chill in fridge for 15 minutes.
- Remove cake from fridge and apply a second coat. I went with an "au naturel" rustic finish.
- Decorate the cake with a piped salted caramel buttercream border on top, or an artful array of piped dollops or drop stars. You can also add drips of salted caramel to the outside of the cake and to the individual cake layers once cut. To preserve maximum crispness, add the oatmeal cookie crumbles in various-sized pieces to the top of the cake just before serving!
notes
You can find this recipe along with 50+ more vegan cake recipes in my book Plantcakes: Fancy + Everyday Vegan Cakes for Everyone! You can read more about my book here!
Leave a Reply