This post and recipe was created for #AppleWeek! I was sent products by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine. #ad
Celebrate fall with this gorgeous Apple Cinnamon Layer Cake, piled high with a brown butter streusel and cinnamon spice buttercream.
Hi friends and welcome to day two of #AppleWeek! First things first - have you entered the giveaway yet? What are you waiting for?? Go do that right now! Now that that's done... I am sharing one of my beloved mini layer cakes all dressed up for the occasion. This Apple Cinnamon Layer Cake with Brown Butter Streusel is packed with fresh apple chunks, covered in a cinnamon spice buttercream, and sprinkled with some irresistible brown butter oats. The little caramel drips are just well, the cherry on top! I told you yesterday that the caramel for the galette would come in handy somewhere else! 😉
So let's talk about today's sponsors - I have quite a few! I used Rodelle Vanilla in the cake, Flahavan's oats in the streusel, and this beautiful Swiss Diamond paring knife to chop up my apples! I also used apple pie spice from The Spice House in the cake and buttercream... but to be honest, that spice mix ended up in basically all of my #AppleWeek recipes anyway! It is so rich and flavorful and works so well with apples in any way, shape, or form.
Okay so I have to be honest. One of the main reasons I made an apple cinnamon layer cake for #AppleWeek is because, of course, I just love this style of cake. But the other reason I keep posting cakes like this is because I hope you guys will realize they're not that hard to make! I PROMISE. This particular cake does have a few elements going on, with the main cake of course, buttercream, streusel, and caramel. But you don't have to do it all if you feel like it's too much. You can easily buy caramel from the store and use cake mix! I will pretty much always advise you to make frosting from scratch because it takes like, two minutes, tastes way better, and it behaves SO differently than store-bought frosting for decorating! If you want better odds of your cake turning out beautiful, just make the frosting yourself. 😉
I hope you guys make this adorable apple cinnamon layer cake sometime this fall! It is so full of warm, comforting flavors and it turned out absolutely delicious. I hope you love it as much as we did! 🙂
Looking for more itty bitty layer cakes? Check out my Vegan Lemon Curd Layer Cake, Vegan Fig & Dark Chocolate Layer Cake, Confetti Layer Cake, Gender Reveal Piñata Layer Cake, and (because it's almost Halloween!) Cookies & Cream Halloween Layer Cake!
Looking for the recipe for the caramel drip? Find it HERE.
apple cinnamon layer cake with brown butter streusel #AppleWeek
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup {½ stick} unsalted butter softened
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon Rodelle vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon The Spice House apple pie spice
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 1 large apple peeled, cored, and diced small
- *for the brown butter streusel*
- ¼ cup {½ stick} unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup Flahavan's oats
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon The Spice House apple pie spice
- *for the buttercream frosting*
- 1 ½ cups {3 sticks} unsalted butter softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon whole milk as needed
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon The Spice House apple pie spice
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and butter & flour two 6" cake pans.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and apple pie spice. Add in the butter, and beat on low until it's incorporated and has a sandy texture.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, sour cream, and Rodelle vanilla, and add them to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Pour in the milk, and beat on medium-low until smooth and creamy. Finally, stir in the apple pieces.
- Divide batter evenly among the two pans, and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs. Let cakes cool completely before decorating.
- While you wait on the cakes, prepare the brown butter streusel.
- First, brown the butter. Place the ½ stick of butter in a small nonstick pot, and heat over medium. After the butter melts, it will start bubbling and foaming. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until it turns a light golden brown and starts to smell toasted and nutty. Remove immediately from heat to avoid burning. Stir in the brown sugar and apple pie spice, then add in Flahavan's oats and flour. Mixture will be a little clumpy! Set aside for now.
- When ready to assemble, prepare the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter until smooth and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Add in some milk as needed if it's too thick. Finally, mix in the vanilla, apple pie spice, and pinch of salt.
- To assemble the cake, divide the 2 cake layers in half to create 4 thin layers. Place one cake piece on your cake stand or platter, and pipe frosting all over. Smooth with an offset spatula if desired and sprinkle on some of the streusel mixture. Repeat with all.
- Pipe frosting all over the outside of the cake, and smooth using a bench scraper. Decorate around the top using a large star 1M tip and sprinkle additional streusel in the center. If desired, decorate the outside with some caramel drips. Place prepared caramel in a squeeze bottle, and apply where you'd like. Serve immediately or store in fridge until needed. Enjoy!
Here are the other blogger creations for today!
Tuesday Recipes:
- 1-Pot Apple Sausage Meatballs by Books n' Cooks
- ABC Sheet Pan Dinner by Jolene's Recipe Journal
- Apple Bacon Goat Cheese Salad by Jonesin' For Taste
- Apple Bourbon Float by Our Good Life
- Apple Butter Overnight Chia Oatmeal by Love and Confections
- Apple Cinnamon Layer Cake with Brown Butter Streusel by The Baking Fairy
- Apple Cornbread Cakelets by The Redhead Baker
- Apple Crumble Muffins by The Anthony Kitchen
- Apple Noodle Kugel by Palatable Pastime
- Caramel Apple Pie Dip by Mildly Meandering
- Apple Pie Donuts by Daily Dish Recipes
- Apple Pie Turnovers by The Bitter Side of Sweet
- Apple Pork Burgers by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
- Apple Cranberry Crock Pot Stuffing by West Via Midwest
- Baked Chai-Spiced Apple Chips by Culinary Adventures With Camilla
- Beet Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette by Caroline's Cooking
- Butterscotch Harvest Cake by Tip Garden
- Caramel Apple Cookie Bars by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Caramel Apple Sheet Cake by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Cinnamon Apple Crumb Cake by Cookaholic Wife
- Cinnamon Caramel Apple Frozen Custard by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck
- Cold Apple Cider with Caramel Infused Rum by Amy's Cooking Adventures
- Creamy Blue Cheese & Sliced Apple Crostini by Who Needs a Cape?
- Deconstructed Chocolate Caramel Mini Apple Pie by The Freshman Cook
- Deconstructed Skillet Apple Dumplings by Seduction in the Kitchen
- Fall Panzanella Salad by House of Nash Eats
- Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze by Soulfully Made
- German Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by Cooking With Carlee
- Glazed Spiced Apple Cider Cookies by Savory Moments
- Hasselback Apples by Kate's Recipe Box
- PB Apple Muffins by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
- Skillet Apple and Sausage Stuffing Recipe by Lemon Blossoms
- Skinny Apple Crisp by The Saucy Fig
- Slow Cooker Apple Butter by Shockingly Delicious
- One Pan Pork Chops with Apples and Cinnamon by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
- Out of This World Apple Cake by Family Around the Table
Wendy Klik says
That is one beautiful cake.
Carlee says
What a pretty cake! I wish I could steal a piece right off the screen!