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    Home » Cake » Apple Cardamom Cake with Caramel Pecan Butter Frosting

    Apple Cardamom Cake with Caramel Pecan Butter Frosting

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    When you combine the warm and cozy flavours of apples, cardamom, caramel and roasted pecans together, something called magic happens. It is also called the perfect fall cake. Yes this is happening right now people! Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting.

    Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting is the perfect fall cake and is made by combining all your favourite fall flavours together. | aheadofthyme.com

    This recipe is full of little tricks that will make the cake even more moist and flavourful. By replacing butter with oil, it will help keep the cake soft and moist even if you eat it straight from the fridge. As much as I would like to warm this up, it's likely not gonna happen. It's going straight from the fridge and into my belly!

    Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting is the perfect fall cake and is made by combining all your favourite fall flavours together. | aheadofthyme.com

    Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting is the perfect fall cake and is made by combining all your favourite fall flavours together. | aheadofthyme.com

    Caramel Pecan Butter Frosting

    Apple cardamon cake just wouldn't be the same without the caramel pecan butter frosting. They are a perfect match made in heaven. Its gorgeous colour comes from cinnamon which is also what brings all the flavours together. The caramel and frosting is critical for layering and for decorating:

    1. Layering: Spread some butter frosting and caramel in between the cake layers to get that gorgeous, layered slice.
    2. Decorating: Use the right tools to pipe on those fancy restaurant-looking peaks. I used Wilton 6B tip to get those perfect peaks.

    Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting is the perfect fall cake and is made by combining all your favourite fall flavours together. | aheadofthyme.com

    Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting is the perfect fall cake and is made by combining all your favourite fall flavours together. | aheadofthyme.com

    The icing on the cake, metaphorically speaking, is that the cinnamon and cardamom that will emanate from your oven will make your home smell absolutely incredible! Umm…yeah, I think it’s time to stop talking and get going on making this fall masterpiece!

    Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting is the perfect fall cake and is made by combining all your favourite fall flavours together. | aheadofthyme.com

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    Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting is the perfect fall cake and is made by combining all your favourite fall flavours together. | aheadofthyme.com

    Apple Cardamom Cake with Caramel Pecan Butter Frosting


    ★★★★★

    4.9 from 8 reviews

    • Author: Sam | Ahead of Thyme
    • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    • Yield: 1 cake with 3 layers
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting is the perfect fall cake and is made by combining all your favourite fall flavours together.


    Ingredients

    Cake:

    • 3 cups of purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • 1 cup corn oil or vegetable oil
    • ⅔ cup of sour cream
    • 2 cups grated apples, drained (approximately 3-4 medium sized apples)
    • 1 cup of chopped and roasted pecans

    Caramel: 

    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • ½ cup butter
    • pinch of salt

    Butter Frosting:

    • 2 and ½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
    • 1 cup icing sugar
    • 1 (14 oz.) can condensed milk (or dulce de leche)
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 2-3 tablespoons caramel (see above for recipe)

    Instructions

    Cake:

    1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
    2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Set aside.
    3. In another large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together with a hand mixer until the mixture turns a light yellow colour. Continue beating while slowly adding brown sugar, oil and sour cream until fully combined.
    4. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and continue beating. Add in apples and beat until combined.
    5. Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans. Divide the batter among the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until brown. Check if it is ready with a toothpick (must come out clean).
    6. Allow layers to cool completely.

    Caramel:

    1. Preheat the cream. It must be hot when you add it to the caramel otherwise it may create a little explosion and cause burns! 
    2. Gradually melt down the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Important: add a little bit in a time. Watch the sugar to make sure that it does not get burnt.
    3. Slowly add butter while stirring the mixture. Add the pre-heated cream and a pinch of salt.

    Butter Frosting:

    1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter for a few minutes and slowly add sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Continue to beat while gradually adding condensed milk.
    2. Add cinnamon and caramel and beat the mixture for another minute.

    Assembly: 

    1. If the cakes are rounded on top, even with a knife or a cake sting.
    2. Put the first layer on a cake stand. Spread frosting on the first layer. Top the frosting with some pecans.
    3. Put the second layer upside down and spread some caramel. Flip it on top of the first layer and repeat the procedure with frosting, pecans and caramel.
    4. Spread the frosting all over the cake. Put the cake in the fridge before decoration.
    5. Pipe the rest of the frosting on top of the cake using Wilton 6B open star tip, sprinkle with pecans and top with some caramel.

    Notes

    • Plan additional time for assembling the cake and decorating.
    • Prep Time: 30 min
    • Cook Time: 35 min
    • Category: Dessert

    Did you make this recipe?

    I'd love to see! Tag me @aheadofthyme on Instagram.

    Apple cardamom cake with caramel pecan butter frosting is the perfect fall cake and is made by combining all your favourite fall flavours together. | aheadofthyme.com
    Apple Cardamom Cake with Caramel Pecan Butter Frosting
    5K Shares
    Pin5K
    Yum27
    Share22
    Tweet14
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lauren says

      December 23, 2022 at 8:51 am

      Hi, can this be made ahead of time or should be made the day it is being served? Thanks!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. J says

      November 23, 2021 at 6:42 pm

      Everything about this recipe worked out well, except for one thing. The recipe calls for 2 cups of grated apples, then states this equates to 5-6 medium sized apples. It doesn't. I grated one Rainier apple and came out with a little over two cups of grated apple, and there is no way any more would've worked. Unless a medium-sized apple is the size of a small child's fist, I think there was some kind of typo in this part of the recipe.

      Other than that, it came out great! I made it for Thanksgiving, it's a nice alternative if you're looking for something a little more unique than "Pie. Pie everywhere."

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says

        December 19, 2021 at 9:22 am

        Thank you J! I did retest it on apples I have at home, and it took about 3.5 medium-sized apples for me. There is definitely some variation but you are right, it should not be 5-6 apples. I have corrected that. Thank you!

        Reply
    3. Michelle says

      November 20, 2021 at 4:38 pm

      What kind of apples do you recommend using?

      Reply
      • Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says

        November 21, 2021 at 10:01 am

        Hi Michelle, you can use any kind of apples. For a tarter cake, use honeycrisp and granny smith apples, for a sweeter cake, use gala or fuji apples.

        Reply
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