Caramel apple poke cake
Your kids will love helping you poke holes in this apple cake to pour the gooey caramel inside. It makes the perfect autumnal treat!
If you’ve got spare apples and want to bake something with them, nothing could be more delicious than this caramel apple poke cake – it’s, as it’s name suggests, a deliciously moist apple cake with some decadent, gooey caramel on top. If you’ve never heard of a poke cake before, they get their name because before pouring the topping on (in this case the caramel) you poke lots of little holes in it. That means, when you pour the topping on top it oozes down into the cake meaning you get a delicious bite of caramel in every bite.
Difficulty: A wee bit harder
Time: 40 minutes plus 30 minutes baking
Serves: 12
Ingredients
For the Cake
270g (1 ¼ cup)unsalted butter (softened)
270g (1 1/3 cup) golden caster sugar
5 eggs (large)
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground mixed spice
270g (1 1/3 cup)self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk
2 cooking apples
For the Caramel
50g (1/4 cup) light muscovado sugar
100g ( 1/3 cup) golden syrup
35g (1/6 cup) unsalted butter (softened)
80ml single cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Frosting
300g (2 cups) icing sugar
90g ( 1/3 cup) unsalted butter (softened)
300g (1 cup) cream cheese
1 tsp ground cinnamon
how to make a caramel apple poke cake
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/ 375F. Grease and line a 23cm x 33cm baking tin with baking paper.
Cook the apples
Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces. This is a great way to get little cooks practising their knife skills as it doesn’t matter if they are a little uneven. Cook the apple in a small pan with a tbsp of butter and a splash of apple juice until they are soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Make the apple cake
Get your little one to measure the butter (270g) and sugar (270g) out and add to a mixing bowl or freestanding mixer. Cream them together until they are well mixed.
Measure the flour (270g) in a small bowl.
Break the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to your mixture one at a time along with a spoonful of flour to stop it curdling. Give it a good mix in between the addition of each egg.
Add the vanilla (1 ½ tsp) and mixed spice (2 tsp) and beat well.
Add the flour and baking powder (1 tsp)and gently fold into the mixture.
Lastly add the milk (2 tbsp) milk the cooked apples and give it one final mix.
Bake your poke cake
Pour the cake batter into your prepared baking tin and smooth down the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. It’s ready when the cake is golden and springy to touch. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin.
Make the caramel
While the cake is cooling, make the caramel sauce. Measure the sugar (50g), syrup (100g) and butter (35g) and add to a pan. Heat is gently until the butter has melted then allow it to bubble for around three minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cream (80g) and vanilla (1/2 tsp). Give it a stir then put it aside and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Make the icing
While the caramel is cooling make the icing.
Weigh the icing sugar (300g) and butter (90g) then mix together using a stand mixer or wooden spoon until they’ve come together.
Add the cinnamon (1 tsp) and cream cheese (300g) and beat together until it is combined. Don’t overbeat it as it can make the mixture go runny. Pop it in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake.
Assemble the caramel apple poke cake
Remove the cake from the tin.
Using a straw, get your little chef to poke holes all over the cake that go about ¾ through.
Pour half of the cooled caramel over the cake making sure it goes into the holes.
Spread the cream cheese frosting over the top of the caramel apple poke cake, then drizzle the remaining caramel over the top.
Enjoy!
Caramel apple poke cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 270 g (1 ¼ cup) unsalted butter (softened)
- 270 g (1 1/3 cup) golden caster sugar
- 5 eggs large
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground mixed spice
- 270 g (1 1/3 cup) self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 cooking apples
- For the Caramel
- 50 g (1/4 cup) light muscovado sugar
- 100 g (1/3 cup) golden syrup
- 35 g (1/6 cup) unsalted butter (softened)
- 80 ml single cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 300 g (2 cups) icing sugar
- 90 g (1/3 cup) unsalted butter (softened)
- 300 g (1 cup) cream cheese
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/ 375F. Grease and line a 23cm x 33cm baking tin with baking paper.
Cook the apples
- Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces. Cook them in a small pan with a tbsp of butter and a splash of apple juice until they are soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Make the cake
- Measure the butter and sugar out and add to a mixing bowl or freestanding mixer. Cream them together until they are well mixed.
- Measure the flour in a small bowl.
- Break the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to your mixture one at a time along with a spoonful of flour to stop it curdling. Give it a good mix in between the addition of each egg.
- Add the vanilla and mixed spice and beat well.
- Add the flour and baking powder and gently fold into the mixture
- Lastly add the milk and the cooked apples and give it one final mix.
Bake your apple poke cake
- Pour the cake batter into your prepared baking tin and smooth down the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. It’s ready when the cake is golden and springy to touch. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin.
Make the caramel
- While the cake is cooling, make the caramel sauce. Measure the sugar, syrup and butter and add to a pan. Heat is gently until the butter has melted then allow it to bubble for around three minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cream and vanilla. Give it a stir then put it aside and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Make the icing
- While the caramel is cooling make the icing.
- Weigh the icing sugar and butter then mix together using a stand mixer or wooden spoon until they’ve come together.
- Add the cinnamon and cream cheese and beat together until it is combined. Don’t overbeat it as it can make the mixture go runny. Pop it in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake.
Assemble the cake
- Remove the cake from the tin.
- Using a straw poke holes all over the cake that go about ¾ through. Pour half of the cooled caramel over the cake making sure it goes into the holes.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake, then drizzle the remaining caramel over the top.
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Looks delicious Helen, Hannah and Lewis