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A spiced apple butter cake with white frosting and caramel drizzle sits on a decorative cake stand. Topped with whipped cream, leaves, and three red plums, this Thanksgiving dessert has a large slice cut to reveal its layers.
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4.86 from 7 votes

Apple Butter Cake

Apple butter cake with spiced layers and creamy frosting. Think of it as a level-up from apple cake – deeper flavor, more moisture, and a dessert that feels like autumn in every bite.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Cake
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Apple Butter Cake
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 595kcal
Author: Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup (240g) apple butter (apple butter recipe here)
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 cups + 1 tbsp (260g) flour all-purpose / plain
  • 2 tbsp ground almonds / almond meal (optional)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp salt

Mascarpone frosting

  • 1 lb (450g) mascarpone or brick-style cream cheese
  • 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)
  • ½ cup (120ml) cream heavy / double
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Make the cake

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°F). Mist two 8-inch (you can also use three 6-inch cake pans for a triple layer cake) with cake release and line the bottoms with baking paper.
  • Add the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk at high speed until doubled in volume using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer).
    1 cup (200g) light brown sugar, 3 large eggs
  • Add the apple butter, oil and vanilla and whisk at high speed until batter is smooth.
    1 cup (240g) apple butter, ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
  • Sift the flour, almonds if using, baking powder, soda, salt and spices into the wet ingredients and fold together to combine. Rest for five minutes.
    2 cups + 1 tbsp (260g) flour, 2 tbsp ground almonds / almond meal, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ½ tsp salt
  • Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake in the centre of the oven for 22-25 minutes. The cake is ready when springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the tester comes out with wet batter, continue to bake for a few minutes longer and check again.
  • Leave cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes and carefully turn out onto a wire rack and cover with plastic wrap.

Make the frosting

  • Beat the mascarpone, powdered sugar, a little of the cream, cinnamon and vanilla on low speed. Gradually ad the cream and increase the speed until you have firm peaks, scraping the down the bottom and sides of the bowl halfway through.
    1 lb (450g) mascarpone, 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar, ½ cup (120ml) cream, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Assemble the cake

  • Transfer the frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of the bottom cake layer.
  • Spread apple purée inside the ring and level. Top with second layer (or repeat if you have made three layers) and cover the top with frosting.
  • Pipe a thick a layer of frosting over the sides of the cake. Use a palette knife to smooth the top of the cake letting the frosting spread over the edges.
  • Use a side scraper to smooth the frosting on the sides of the cake – using a turntable will make this easier. Use a serrated side scraper to create a pattern (optional).
  • Drizzle apple butter or caramel sauce around the edge of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
  • Pipe any remaining frosting on top of the cake and decorate with small apples or toffee apples. Add a few chopped nuts around the base of the cake to decorate (optional).

Video

Notes

You can replace the homemade apple butter with store-bought apple butter or sweetened apple sauce. The original recipe also provided a method to make apple purée which replaces the apple butter.
  • 3 large cooking apples, peeled and cubed (or 6 smaller apples)
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (75g) dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • juice of a small lemon
  1. Put all the ingredients for the apple purée in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Keep stirring until the apples are soft and breaking up. Use an immersion blender or food processor to blend apples to a smooth purée.
  2. Measure 1 cup (240g) of purée for the cake and reserve the rest to be used between the layers.

Nutrition

Calories: 595kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 232mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 899IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 2mg
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