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

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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 warm apple cake. It makes an 8 x 8 inch cake, perfect for a family dessert or to share with friends.

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 warm apple cake. 

Grandma’s Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

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 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 warm apple cake. 

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.

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 compliment to the richness of the caramel sauce.

Pour yourself a big glass of milk; you’ll need it.  Or eat this warm apple cake with vanilla ice cream.

Our Dad loves Grandma’s Apple Cake.  He remembers eating it as kid.  It’s just as good today as it was then.

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 warm apple cake. 

Warm Apple Cake Ingredient List

Apples (or substitute a can of apple pie filling)

Sugar

Egg

Flour

Ground Cinnamon

Baking Soda

Brown Sugar Sauce for Apple Cake

Brown Sugar

White Sugar

Flour

Water

Butter (or margarine)

Vanilla

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 warm apple cake. 

How to make caramel apple cake:

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

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Combine diced apples and sugar; set aside until sugar dissolves and a syrup forms.
  3. Beat an egg, and stir into apples and sugar.
  4. Combine 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.

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, or cool and refrigerate for a thicker caramel sauce.

See below for shortcut apple cake using apple pie filling.

How to Make Shortcut Apple Cake using Apple Pie filling:

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

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 warm apple cake. 

Notes about Grandma’s Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce:

  • 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.
  • 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.

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 warm apple cake. 

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.

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 warm apple cake. 

Old Fashioned Apple Recipes

Grandma’s Sour Cream Apple Squares

Grandma's Sour Cream Apple Squares is an old-fashioned dessert that will have your family begging for more.  These delicious bars have two layers including a creamy apple layer and a sweet brown sugar crust. Serve these with whipped cream just like our Grandma did.

Easy Apple Crisp

Grandma's Easy Apple Crisp recipe is a traditional apple crisp without oats. The melt-in-your-mouth crumble topping screams cinnamon and butter and will have your family begging for more.

Red Hot Cinnamon Apples

Red Hot Candies are not just for eating.  Instead, add them to an old fashioned classic stewed apples to create Red Hot Cinnamon Apples.  Eat these as a snack or a dessert. Either way, kids love them!

Baked Apple Surprise

Baked Apple Surprise is an old fashioned apple cake recipe.  The ingredients are easy, and it's baked in a pie pan making it a quick dessert or breakfast to get on the table.  Plus, your kitchen will have the aroma of fall with hints of apple and cinnamon.

Apple Nut Crunch

Apple Nut Crunch is the perfect fall dessert when you are short on time and ingredients---it only uses one medium apple. This crunchy baked apple dessert is served warm topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

Crock Pot Apple Cobbler

Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce - A Warm 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 warm apple cake.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brown sugar sauce for apple cake, grandma's apple cake with caramel sauce, old-fashioned apple cake with caramel sauce, warm apple cake
Servings: 10
Author: Barbara

Ingredients

Two sets of Cake Instructions Follow: Homemade Apple Cake or Shortcut Apple Cake using Canned Apple Pie Filling

    Homemade Apple Cake

    • 2 cups apples, peeled and diced
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • 1 cup flour
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda

    Shortcut Apple Cake

    • 1 21 oz can Apple Pie Filling
    • 1 egg
    • 1 cup flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda

    Caramel Sauce

    • 1/2 cup brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup white sugar
    • 2 Tablespoons flour
    • 1 cup water
    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    Instructions

    Homemade Apple Cake

    • Combine diced apples and sugar; let stand until sugar is dissolved into a syrup.
    • Stir beaten egg into apples and syrup.
    • Combine flour, ground cinnamon and baking soda. Stir until apple mixture until a cake batter forms.
    • Pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
    • Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 - 40 minutes or until set. While the cake is baking, make the caramel sauce.

    Shortcut Apple Cake with apple pie filling

    • Beat egg; add to the apple pie filling.  
    • Sift flour and baking soda. Add to apple mixture and mix well.
    • Pour into an 8 inch square baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Smooth out the batter the best that you can.
    • Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until set. While the cake is baking, make the caramel sauce.

    Caramel Sauce

    • In a saucepan, heat brown sugar, white sugar, flour and water over medium heat.  Bring to a rolling boil, and let boil for 1 minutes. Turn off heat.
      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 warm apple cake. 
    • Add butter and vanilla and stir until completely smooth.
      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 warm apple cake. 
    • Pour hot caramel sauce over hot apple cake right out of the oven.
      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 warm apple cake. 
    • Serve is as a warm apple cake or refrigerate to let the caramel sauce thicken.  This can be done overnight. 
      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 warm apple cake. 

    Notes

    Notes about this Homemade Apple Cake

    • Love apples? Try Grandma's Apple Crisp.
    • 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.
    • It is the caramel sauce that makes this cake.  It will seem like you are drowning the cake in caramel sauce.
    • Serve this as a warm apple cake or refrigerate for later.
    • Please note that the caramel sauce thickens up in the refrigerator.

    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 warm apple cake. 

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