Moist Apple Sheet Cake Recipe with Caramel Frosting

This Apple Sheet Cake with Caramel Frosting is a true Southern gem that combines comforting flavors and a touch of sweetness. It takes about an hour from start to finish and is baked in a simple sheet pan for a low-fuss dessert. The cake is so moist, thanks to a blend of butter, brown sugar, and tender apple chunks, and the caramel cream cheese frosting is a showstopper.

Apple Sheet Cake with Caramel Frosting

There’s something about caramel frosting that feels like home in the South. It’s been around forever, and everyone has their “no fail” version. Mine happens to be the one that starts on the stove and ends up in the bowl of a mixer. 

The combo of soft apples, warm spices, and sweet caramel? It’s the kind of dessert you take to a church supper and watch disappear.

I’ve baked plenty of cakes over the years, but this one is the easiest to pull off. No stacking, no crumb coats, no fuss. A single sheet pan, a handful of apples, and about an hour later you’ve got a cake that smells like fall.

The apple brandy gives the flavor a little nudge forward, like vanilla does in chocolate chip cookies. If you’ve never tried it, you’ll see what I mean. I use it in other apple recipes too, anytime you want to brighten the apple flavor. 

You know what else I love? This cake actually works better as a sheet cake because the apples make the surface a little lumpy. Layer cakes want to be flat. A sheet cake doesn’t care.

Slather on the caramel cream cheese frosting, no precision needed. That glossy, sweet-tangy topping hides everything and makes it taste even better the next day.

A few ingredients you’ll need

The full list is in the recipe card, but here are the things that really matter:

• Apples – use whatever baking apples you’ve got on hand. Granny Smith if you want tart, Honeycrisp if you want sweet.
  
• Apple brandy – optional but so worth it. Think of it as a flavor booster.
  
• Caramel cream cheese frosting – don’t skip this part. It’s what makes the cake special.

Caramel Apple Cake Recipe Instructions

Step One: Make the Cake Batter

Step Two: Add Dry Ingredients

Step Three: Chop and Add Apples

Step Four: Bake the Cake

Step Five: Make the Frosting

You’ll start by making caramel in a saucepan, it’s easier than you think. Let it cool and then add it to the cream cheese frosting and spread it on the top of the cake. Let it refrigerate for about 30 minutes for the frosting to set.

Spread it on thick, let the cake chill for half an hour, then slice it into squares. It feeds a crowd, and if you need to stretch it, you can always cut the pieces smaller. 

This apple sheet cake has become my go-to when I need something easy but memorable. It’s just as at home at Thanksgiving as it is at a Saturday potluck, and you could even serve it at brunch. Somehow the caramel makes it feel a little fancy, but the sheet pan keeps it firmly in “everyday cake” territory.

If you don’t feel like taking the extra step to make caramel, you can to it with a brown butter cream cheese frosting or a cinnamon cream cheese frosting to enhance the Fall flavors.

Moist Apple Sheet Cake Recipe with Caramel Frosting

This Apple Sheet Cake with Caramel Frosting is a true Southern gem that combines comforting flavors and a touch of sweetness. It takes about an hour from start to finish and is baked in a simple sheet pan for a low-fuss dessert. The cake is so moist, thanks to a blend of butter, brown sugar, and tender apple chunks, and the caramel cream cheese frosting is a showstopper.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 33 minutes minutes

Total Time: 58 minutes minutes

Servings: 16

Calories: 465kcal

Author: Barbara Curry

Ingredients

Cake

• ¾ cup butter room temp
• 1 ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 ¾ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon Apple Brandy
• 1 ½ cup chopped apples
• ½ cup pecans chopped

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 cups powdered sugar, divided 1lb
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces cream cheese room temp
• ¼ cup butter room temp

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350º. Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan.
• Add butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light an fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating until well combined. Add vanilla and brandy.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon. Add to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Fold in the chopped apples and pecans. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with an offset spatula.
• Bake for 30-33 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a couple of crumbs. Let cool on a wire rack.

Caramel Frosting

• Add ½ cup of the powdered sugar to a light colored saucepan and heat over medium heat without stirring until the sugar dissolves and you have a tan liquid on the bottom of the pan. You can swirl it occasionally.
• Continue cooking, about a minute, stirring to make sure the sugar has dissolved until it is a medium amber color. Don’t let it get too dark or it will taste burnt.
• Add ½ cup cream, vanilla and salt, it will foam up. Whisk until the caramel has dissolved and it is smooth. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Pour into a glass bowl and allow it to cool. It will not be thick. You can place it in the refrigerator or freezer, you want it to be room temperature. 
• Once the caramel has cooled, add cream cheese and butter to a stand mixer and beat until creamy. Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the caramel and beat until combined. 
• Spread on the cake and refrigerate until set.

Notes

• If you don’t want to bother with making caramel, a regular cream cheese frosting will work along with a brown butter or cinnamon frosting. 

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 707IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @easy.southern.desserts or tag #easysoutherndesserts!