This Apple Layer Cake with Mascarpone Frosting is moist, incredibly fragrant and utterly delicious. Decorate with toffee apples or maybe a few leaf-shaped cinnamon cookies.
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This apple layer cake you guys… this may be THE most delicious cake I have made. So says my esteemed tasting team (a.k.a my lovely neighbours) and I must concur.
If you love apples and cinnamon, you simply must move it right to the very top of your fall baking list.
The recipe started as apple cupcakes and then morphed into an apple bundt cake before finding this incarnation as a glorious spiced apple layer cake.
It works in all forms incredibly well and I think it would also be successful as a loaf cake if you didn’t want any fancy frills.
The secret to its amazing flavour is a simple apple purée made with cooking apples, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.
The purée keeps the cake moist, fragrant and almost apple pie like in its concentrated apple-ness – not a word but you get where am I going, right? Take a look at the video below to see how easy it is!
I decorated mine with a toffee apple which just so happened to be what I had handy on the day. Originally I intended to decorate it with a cinnamon cookie wreath which I think would have been beautiful too. Maybe on another cake…
The toffee sauce drizzle is totally optional too, but looks very appropriate. You could use store-bought caramel instead of making it from scratch, simple gently heat the caramel until it is a little runny.
You will have a lot of toffee sauce leftover if you make it – thankfully it can be kept in the fridge and used over ice cream, waffles or other seasonal bakes.
How to make the spiced apple cake
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Step 1. Put all the ingredients for the apple purée in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-low heat. Keep stirring until the apples are soft and breaking up. Use an immersion blender or food processor to process to a smooth purée.
Step 2. Measure 300g (1 cup + 3 tbsp) of the apple purée and reserve the rest to be used between the layers. Add the vegetable oil and eggs to the 300g (10 1/2oz) apple purée and pulse until liquidised. Alternatively you can use spiced apple butter or apple sauce in this cake.
Step 3. Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and fold together with a spatula, making sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Step 4. Divide the batter between the prepared cake tins. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 22-25 minutes. The cake is ready when firm on top and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes and carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Step 5. Mix the mascarpone, icing sugar, spices and vanilla on low speed, gradually adding the cream. Gradually increase the speed until you have firm peaks, scraping the down the bottom and sides of the bowl halfway through. Do not over beat as the frosting may curdle.
Step 6. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Transfer the remaining apple purée into a smaller piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of the bottom cake layer. Pipe apple purée inside the ring and level. Ad a full layer of frosting over the top (see video for demo) and level. Repeat until you have assembled the cake.
Step 7. Use a side scraper to smooth the buttercream on the sides of the cake – using a turntable will make this easier. Freeze the cake for 30 minutes. Add another layer of frosting to cover the cake. Use a serrated side scraper to smooth the frosting (or a plain one for a smooth finish). Carefully drizzle some toffee sauce around the perimeter of the cake so that it drizzles down the sides. Top with a toffee apple or pipe any remaining frosting over the top of the cake to decorate. Add a few chopped nuts around the base of the cake to decorate (optional)
Spiced apple layer cake tips and troubleshooting
- The layers can be made up to three days in advance and kept, wrapped in plastic (cling film), at room temperature.
- Keep the assembled layer cake in the fridge but without the toffee apple, should you decide to use it as decoration.
- Use cinnamon cookies, perhaps cut into leaf shapes, for decoration instead of the toffee apple.
- You can use store-bought caramel sauce or Dulce de leche instead of the toffee sauce.
- Store any leftover toffee sauce in the fridge. It is delicious drizzled over ice cream, cakes and desserts.
- Icing sugar = powdered sugar, double cream=heavy cream, plain flour = all purpose flour
Have you made my apple layer cake recipe? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
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Spiced apple layer cake with mascarpone frosting
Ingredients
For the apple purée
- 3 medium cooking apples peeled and cubed
- 75 g | 2.5oz | 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- juice of a small lemon
For the Cake
- 150 g | 10.3oz | 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 150 g | 10.3oz | 3/4 cups soft light brown sugar
- 100 g | 7oz | 3/4 cup + scant tbsp ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- –––
- 300 g | 10.5oz | 1 cup + 3 tbsp apple purée
- 80 ml | 2.7 fl oz | 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
Mascarpone frosting
- 400 g | 14oz | 1 3/4 cups mascarpone
- 200 g | 7oz | 1 cup icing sugar
- 100 g | 3.5oz | 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Toffee sauce
- 115 g | 1 stick unsalted butter
- 100 g | 3½ oz | ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- chopped nuts to decorate optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C/ 350 F. Spray 3x15cm (6in) cake tins with cake release and line the bottoms with baking paper.
- Put all the ingredients for the apple purée in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-low heat. Keep stirring until the apples are soft and breaking up. Use an immersion blender or food processor to process to a smooth purée.
- Measure 300g (10 1/2oz) of purée and reserve the rest to be used between the layers.
- Add the vegetable oil and eggs to the 300g (10 1/2oz) apple purée and pulse until liquidised.
- Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and fold together with a spatula, making sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Divide the batter between the prepared cake tins.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for about 22-25 minutes. The cake is ready when firm on top and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes and carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Mix the mascarpone, icing sugar, spices and vanilla on low speed, gradually adding the cream. Gradually increase the speed until you have firm peaks, scraping the down the bottom and sides of the bowl halfway through. Do not over beat as the frosting may curdle. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
- Transfer the remaining apple purée into a smaller piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
- Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of the bottom cake layer.
- Pipe apple purée inside the ring and level. Ad a full layer of frosting over the top (see video for demo) and level. Repeat until you have assembled the cake.
- Pipe or smooth a thin layer of frosting (crumb coating) over the entire cake. Use a palette knife to smooth the top of the cake letting the buttercream spread over the edges.
- Use a side scraper to smooth the buttercream on the sides of the cake – using a turntable will make this easier. Freeze the cake for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the toffee sauce. Put the butter and sugar in a small saucepan and whisk together over medium heat until the butter is completely melted and sugar has dissolved.
- Add the cream (take care as the toffee might sputter), vanilla and salt and boil for one minute. Leave to cool slightly.
- Add another layer of frosting to cover the cake. Use a serrated side scraper to smooth the frosting (or a plain one for a smooth finish).
- Carefully drizzle some toffee sauce around the perimeter of the cake so that it drizzles down the sides.
- Top with a toffee apple or pipe any remaining frosting over the top of the cake to decorate. Add a few chopped nuts around the base of the cake to decorate (optional).
Video
Notes
Nutritional Info
Linn says
I made this almost exactly after the recipe! 😉 Used 24cm cake tins so it was only two layers and i put swedish gingerbread cookies on top. this cake is like the moistest kind of carrot cake and the frosting is my new favorite kind of frosting! it was a huge hit!
Lucy Parissi says
So glad to hear! Wish I had a slice ❤️
Michael says
I think 6″ layer cakes are so cute and I finally bought some 6″ pans. I got them yesterday and this will be my first use of them! I think I cooked the apples a bit (lot) too long because I ended up with more of a thick apple paste rather than a smooth puree. What consistency should it be? I’m wondering if I should add a bit of water to loosen it up before using it in the cake.
Lucy Parissi says
It should be the consistency of apple purée (or sauce) definitely not a paste. If you look at the video you will see how the purée looks. If it is too thick I would definitely add a bit or water or apple juice to thin it out. Or start a new batch and keep the paste to smear in the layers. Hope this helps and good luck
Michael says
Thanks! Unfortunately the video doesn’t show up for me. It goes from “Video” to “Notes” with just a blank space in between.
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Michael – if you are on desktop version of the website the video will play within the recipe and not in the recipe card.
G J says
What size cake tin would you recommend using?
Lucy Parissi says
I used small tins – 15cm /6 in. You could use bigger ones, your layers won’t be as deep. If you have really big time then make two layers instead of three.
Emely Diaz says
I’m making this tomorrow so we can have it for our Christmas Eve dinner. But my husband is allergic to nuts, and I see the recipe calls for ground almonds. Can I just add more flour or skip this ingredient altogether? Thank you!! and Happy Holidays from the Caribbean!
Lucy Parissi says
Oh sorry I saw this now – you can omit the nuts and replace with more flour the cake might be a bit more dense as result
Michele says
This cake is absolutely stunning! Thank you so much for allowing me to us it in my apple round-up! Have a great day!
Lucy Parissi says
Thanks for including it Michele xxx
Marnee says
Any ideas on which apples to use if cooking apples are not available? Here in Spain it is very difficult if not impossible to find them. Would love to make this cake as had such overwhelming results with some of your other recipes.
Lucy Parissi says
You can use any crisp tart apple – make sure that you have about 500g of apples.
Janet Welte says
In your cake directions, no where do I read that you should only use 300 gr. in it and reserve the rest. Am I correct on assuming that is what you did? I would like to make this, but I want to be sure on this 1st. Thank you
Lucy Parissi says
That’s right – 300g is used in the cake batter and the remaining purée is piped between the layers. Cook the apples first, make the purée, measure 300g to use in the cake and reserve the rest. I have made that a bit clearer in my instructions, so thank you for pointing that out 🙂
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Oh wow! I LOVE this cake Lucy…. It has to be one of the most eye-catching and delicious I have seen. Just gorgeous xx
Elaine says
Oh my sweetness! This is a masterpiece at the least! I really like how the toffee sauce drizzle is on the edges and in the middle but not in between. This is something that must be very hard to replicate however I would like to try it at least once!
Ben Myhre says
This pie screams fall and “get in my face”. 😉