Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce – A Fresh Apple Cake Recipe

Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce is a great dessert that can be made with fresh apples or with a can of apple pie filling. Follow these easy instructions for either version of this yummy fresh apple cake. It makes an 8 x 8 inch cake, perfect for a family dessert or to share with friends.

Barbara found this recipe in our Grandma’s recipe box and old-fashioned cake with apples and caramel sauce recipe belonged to our Great-Aunt Frieda.

Over the years, we’ve made it as written by our Grandma as a homemade apple cake using fresh fruit, but we’ve also created a shortcut apple cake recipe using a can of apple pie filling.

Both recipes are found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Old Fashioned Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

The best part of this homemade apple cake is the caramel sauce. It’s an old fashioned brown sugar sauce often used for apple cakes. Our Dad loves Grandma’s Apple Cake.  He remembers eating it as kid.  The flavors are just as good today as it was then.

The entire cake is drenched in the homemade brown sugar sauce. It is absolutely divine. The cake isn’t overly sweet which is a perfect pairing with the richness of the caramel sauce. Pour yourself a big glass of milk; you’ll need it.  Or eat this warm apple cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Fresh Apple Cake Ingredient List

• Apples (or substitute a can of apple pie filling)
• Sugar
• Egg
• Flour
• Ground Cinnamon
• Baking Soda

Brown Sugar Sauce for Fresh Apple Cake Recipe

• Brown Sugar
• White Sugar
• Flour
• Water
• Butter (or margarine)
• Vanilla

How to make fresh apple cake

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine diced apples (peel them too) and sugar; set aside until sugar dissolves and a syrup forms.
3. Beat an egg, and stir into apples and sugar.
4. In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, ground cinnamon and baking soda; stir into apple mixture until batter forms.
5. Spread into prepared baking dish.
6. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes.
7. As the warm apple cake bakes, prepare homemade caramel sauce.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for caramel apple cake, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Brown Sugar Sauce for Apple Cake

1. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, white sugar, flour and water.
2. Bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute.  Sauce should change colors to a white/ clear color.
3. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla; stir until smooth.
4. Pour over hot cake still in the pan.
5. Eat apple cake warm with whipped cream or ice cream, or cool and refrigerate for a thicker caramel sauce.

See full recipe below in the recipe card for shortcut apple cake using apple pie filling.

Storage Instructions

Let fresh apple cake cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover with a tight fitting lid, and store in the refrigerator.

How to Make Shortcut Apple Cake using Apple Pie Filling (shortcut recipe)

Step by Step Instructions

1. Combine apple pie filling and beaten egg.
2. Mix together flour and baking soda.
3. Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients to form batter.
4. Spread into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 – 40 minute.
5. Make caramel sauce according to previous instructions.

Recipe FAQs

• The recipe includes both homemade apple cake and a recipe for a shortcut apple cake using apple pie filling.
• The cake batter seems rather odd at first. It looks like apples coated in a sticky flour mixture.  This is normal.
• Once it bakes, it also has a rather unappealing appearance. That’s OK too. Once you add the sauce, it makes a gorgeous appearance.
• Substitute margarine for butter in the brown sugar sauce, if desired.
• If desired, add chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter.
• It is the caramel sauce that makes this cake.  It will seem like you are drowning the cake in caramel sauce…and that’s the point!
• Serve this as a warm apple cake or refrigerate for later.
• Please note that the caramel sauce thickens up in the refrigerator.
• Visit our Amazon Store for some of our favorite kitchen products.

What type of apples should I use for apple cake?

Listen up. Here’s a lesson from our Grandma. JUST USE WHATEVER TYPE OF APPLES YOU HAVE. End of story.

No, really. Back in the day when everything was homemade, people didn’t have access to all these different varieties of apples.  Grandma literally picked the apples from the tree or used what ever variety she could find at the grocery store.

And, the apple cake (or whatever type of apple dessert she was making) turned out.  It’s still going to be delicious, so don’t sweat the variety. So whether you have granny smith apples or gala apples or any other variety, just use them.

Old Fashioned Apple Recipes

Grandma’s Sour Cream Apple Squares

Easy Apple Crisp

Red Hot Cinnamon Apples

Baked Apple Surprise

Apple Nut Crunch

Can you leave apple cake out overnight?

Apple cake is traditionally very moist making it a prime candidate for mold growth if stored at room temperature. Storing the cake in the fridge will help it to last longer.

Linking up to Weekend Potluck.