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You guys, you guys, you guys.
I maybe, kind of sort of, got a little carried away with this Salted Caramel Apple Snickers Cake.
But sometimes I really just cannot help myself. Getting carried away in chocolate is always a fun thing. And this cake? It’s my favorite fall recipe to date. I freaking love this cake!
I kind of have a lot to say about this cake (how could I not!). Please bear with me as I ramble (and ramble) and try to convince you that you need to make this cake.
For one, I realize that this cake is well, totally high maintenance. I am not going to sit here and try to tell you that it’s quick and easy because that would just be a lie. This snickers cake recipe takes a little TLC for sure, but I think it’s a cake that is worth it. Maybe it’s only a once year cake, but that is what makes it even more special. And the time of year to make it is NOW. I am thinking Halloween, but Thanksgiving would work too. Personally, I think it’s geared more towards Halloween. It has a little spook factor to it, the caramel apples and the whole Snickers thing makes it a dead ringer for Halloween, when everything is all about candy. Although, I didn’t actually use any Snickers in this cake, it’s just Snickers flavored…. but it’s better than a Snickers bar.
Without a doubt.
Here’s the deal, the cake part is simple. It’s just a spiced apple cake, but made chocolate. I know that is not really typical, but who cares, it’s good. The cinnamon is delicious with the chocolate cake layers and the sweet flavors of the apples.
Oh, and since this cake is full of applesauce that means it’s healthy, right??
Ok, ok, fine, it’s not even close to being healthy, but hey I had to try. And hey, it’s a celebration cake so the calories don’t count anyways… reason number 101 as to why I love the months of October, November and December. These are the months when food can be whatever we want it to be. Yes to the yes.
Once you have the cake all baked, it’s time for the caramel. Now the caramel we are dividing into two parts. You are going to start off, by making one big pot of salted caramel sauce. We only need one cup of the caramel sauce, so we remove that from the pot, set it aside to cool and then reserve the remaining caramel sauce (just leave it in the pot you cooked it in) for later on in the recipe. We need the one cup of salted caramel sauce for making the frosting and drizzling the cake layers. The rest of the caramel in the pot will need to be cooked again and brought to the proper temperature to coat the apples in. Once the cake is all assembled you will cover the cake and apples in this caramel. This is the very final step though.
The next step is the frosting, which may just be the best part. The frosting is addicting you guys. If you are a frosting lover, you may just want to double the recipe. It’s “spoonful worthy” good.
The frosting is sort of the “nougat filling” and peanut layer of the cake combined into one. I really did not want to take the time to make two sets of frosting for this cake, so I just combined them into one. It worked perfectly, if I do say so myself.
It tastes sweet, but with the perfect amount of salt to balance it, and then it’s super peanutty, super creamy and so fluffy. AKA, the best frosting ever.
After you have made the frosting, you frost that cake ALL OVER. Get every nook and cranny, then drizzle every inch with that reserved one cup of caramel sauce and cover those moist chocolate cakes in full on deliciousness.
Don’t worry about the frosting looking perfect because you will be covering it in a layer of chocolate and then a thick layer of caramel. Totally insane.
The bummer part to this recipe is that it requires some chill out time in the fridge. The first chill time is short. You just want to keep the frosted cake in the fridge while you make the chocolate coating. It’s no big deal.
But the second chill time is more important. Once you have poured the chocolate coating (which is just chocolate ganache) over the cake, it is best if you can keep the cake in the fridge for at least and hour and half. I recommend overnight because it just make things easier (and less daunting) if you break the cake up into two days, but an hour and half will do too. After the cake is well chilled, it’s time to finish the caramel and make this cake GORGEOUS.
All you are doing is boiling that same caramel from earlier (that I left in the pot) and bringing it to a slightly high temp. It REALLY helps if you have a candy thermometer for this. It just takes the guessing out and makes things a little simpler. It’s not a must, but you know your caramel is ready when you use the thermometer.
Also, it is important to let the caramel cool slightly before pouring it over the cake. This will help the caramel thicken up and also prevent the cake from melting. It’s kind of annoying, but pretty important, so don’t skip it. And then just pour the caramel over the cake, dip the apples and garnish with some salt and peanuts.
The caramel on the cake + apples should never become hard. It’s should firm up into a solid, but stay soft and chewy.
Whew. I know. It’s a lot, but it’s fun and perfect for Halloween. Please don’t be freaked by the amount of time required here. It’s not a hard cake to make, it just needs a little time. And come on, how could it not be worth it??
Words cannot describe just how good this cake is. It’s so good that I wasn’t even complaining that I had to make it twice… in a two-day period. And yes, all the cake somehow managed to get eaten. Everyone from my family, to builders to friends, to random walk-ins loved this cake.
What can I say, it’s just a lovable cake.
Sorry for the giant post with too many words and WAY too many photos, but I am obviously pretty excited about this cake.
Salted Caramel Apple Snickers Cake.
Servings: 16 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 953 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee hot (or warm apple cider)
Salted Caramel
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup honey or corn syrup
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + flakey salt for sprinkling
- 3 your favorite SMALL apples * I used granny smith and honeycrisp
- 6 twigs or wooden sticks
Snickers Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter not the oily kind
- 1/3 cup salted caramel ingredients above
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped + more for garnish
Chocolate Coating
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
To make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch (or 9 inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium size bowl combine the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer) beat together the eggs, canola oil, apple sauce, and vanilla until smooth.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the hot coffee and mix until combined. Batter should be pourable, but not super thin.
- Pour the batter among the 3 cake pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Grab 3 large flat plates, line them with wax or parchment paper and invert the cakes onto the paper lined plates. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Caramel + Frosting
- Place sugar, honey and apple cider in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, boil, without stirring, 9 minutes or until light golden in color. Add the heavy cream, butter, bourbon, and vanilla, slowly stirring into pan. Boil for 10-15 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 210 degrees F., stirring frequently. Remove the sauce from heat and add the salt. Using a heat proof measuring cup scoop out 1 cup of caramel sauce and allow it to cool. Cover the remaining sauce and set aside until the cake is ready (I just covered my pot and set it aside overnight).
- Now make the frosting, add the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar to the bowl of stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer). Beat together until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the peanut butter, 1/3 cup of the cooled caramel sauce and the vanilla, beat, scraping down the sides as needed, another 2 minutes or until there are no streaks. Stir in the chopped peanuts.
To Assemble the Cake
- Place 1 layer of cake, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. Drizzle the cake with a little salted caramel sauce (from the reserved 1 cup, not from the pot of caramel). With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and drizzle with caramel. Spread the frosting evenly on the top. Add the final layer of cake and drizzle with the remaining caramel. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Don't worry about it being too perfect as you will be covering most of it up. Place the cake in fridge.
- To make the chocolate coating. In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and cream. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring between each until melted. Allow the sauce to cool 3-5 minutes, and then pour the sauce onto the middle of the cake and spread to just the sides, allow the sauce to drip down the sides of the cake. Place the cake in the fridge preferably overnight, but at least 1 1/2 hours. You need the chocolate to be completely set and the frosting firm.
To Finish.
- Once the cake is cool, grab that reserved caramel sauce in the pot. Place it back over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads between 220-230 degrees F (I let mine go to 225 and it was perfect). Remove the sauce from the stove and let is cool 15-20 minutes, stirring every so often. Make sure the caramel does not become too stiff. If it stiffens too much you will not be able to dip the apples. While the sauce cools, push the twigs or wooden sticks into the top of the apples. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
- When the caramel has cooled (it should be a little thicker now, but still pourable), pour about half the caramel over the cake and allow it to fall down the sides of the cake. Working quickly, dip the apples into the remaining caramel and place the in the center of cake. Sprinkle the cake with flakey salt and peanuts. Make room in the fridge for the cake and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. The caramel should never get completely hard, but should be more of a soft firm. Once the caramel is firm, store the cake in the fridge until ready to serve. Allow the cake to sit 15 minutes at room temp before serving. Please not that this is a delicate and with all the toppings it is a bit tricky to slice. Your slices will not be perfect.
Notes
*To cut the cake, I recommend removing the apples and then carefully slicing the cake. This is a messy cake guys, the slices will not be perfect. *If you prefer, you do not have to add the caramel apples to the cake. It does make the cake a little hard to cut, so you can either skip them or serve them on the side of the cake. *It is important to use small, light apples. If you use large apples, the cake has a greater chance of caving in.
Seriously? I cannot even handle it. This cake, I love this cake! So please make it – please!
This post was originally published on October 17, 2014
This cake is just simply WOW and I am hoping I can do it justice. I plan on making it for a Halloween party this Friday. I am going to start tomorrow! I am however a little worried about the caramel given the comments. So I wondered if I could cheat a little and use Kraft Caramels? I have used them before for caramel apples but wondered if it would work here. Should I add some cream? Some bourbon? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for a super post!
Amy! I think that will work. I would just add cream until the sauce is just thin enough to drizzle, I am thinking around 1/3-1/2 cup for 1 bag of caramels. and then for the apples just make them as directed by kraft. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Halloween! 🙂
This cake is so beautiful and it looks dilicious, i wan’t to bake it for a kids halloweenparty but dont want to use alcohol so can i use appeljuice instead?
compliments for your great cake!!!
You can use cider in place of the bourbon, according to Teghan’s reply to Tracy on Nov. 23, 2014. The taste of bourbon does come through (nicely!), so I’d recommend replacing it if serving to children.
Apple juice or apple cider will both work great. Thanks!
This cake is just simply amazing and I am hoping to make it for a Halloween party this Friday. I plan on starting tomorrow! I am however a l
Made this cake for our “Ladies Night Out Halloween Dinner.” It was a HUGE hit! Everyone loved it. I used fake spiderwebs and a spider and draped it through the top of the twigs to make it more spooky! Fun cake thanks for the recipe!
Why are there 6 twigs and 3 apples? What do I do with the other twigs?
Sorry, that is a typo. You only need three twigs. Hope you love the cake!
Do you have a VEGAN version of this recipe?
Salted Caramel Apple Snickers cake
HI Mike, I am sorry but I don’t.
Sugar COMA!!! No just kidding (well almost) – my daughter and I made this for our annual Halloween birthday dinner and HOLY COW we got the reactions we hoped for. When brought the cake to the table we were greeted with GASPS of pure delight. The cake looked exactly like you pictured on your blog (Divine) even down to the branches in the apples. This cake would easily fee 20 people since a small slice is all you can eat before landing in a sugar coma requiring an insulin intervention. It was a total success and the apples were also enjoyed that night too. One small glitch as I noted form another comment, my caramel never got thick either. I will try again and feel sure it was baker error and not recipe error. I opted for a can of salted caramel frosting I had on hand and it worked just fine in a pinch. Don’t worry – the other sauce made from the recipe will go great over coffee ice cream at a later date! I love your blog and also make the Autumn Pot Pie for this dinner too! What rave reviews I received for this birthday celebration. Thanks so much for your creative culinary skills!
Final cake in the frig. For my next attempt can you help me with..
* initially caramel too thin? Should I cool the caramel prior to putting in the frosting?
* should I chill the frosting prior to putting on cake
* chocolate ganache. Mine was so thick. Overlooked? Perhaps heating at 50% power for 30 seconds
As my initial caramel was too thin I boiled the 2nd caramel for the full 20 min reaching 225 degrees but it got too gooey.
I can’t wai
..to try it as the flavors are amazing.
Thank you for this amazing cake!
HI!!
Yes, allow the caramel to cool before adding it to the frosting, but I would not chill the frosting before frosting the cake as it will be hard to spread if the frosting is cold. If your ganache was too thick, just add cream to thin. I don’t think you overcooked it, but if you are worried about that than, yes cook on 50% power until melted. Let me know if you have ANY other questions. Hope the cake is a HUGE success! 🙂
I made this cake for my family at our Halloween dinner. It was amazing. I can’t say enough about every flavor in each layer. The cake amazing, the frosting is one I will use on many cakes, the ganach perfect and the Carmel was best I ever made.
Thank you for such an amazing recipe. It’s worth every step.
Love this cake! Just made my 1st attempt and my caramel and frosting was way too thin and runny but it is frisked and in the frig. My guess is the caramel didn’t hit the mark…it is fairly humid here today so that could be the issue. When I was cooking the caramel I followed the directions to the tee. After adding the cream, butter etc my thermometer got to 210 within 5 minutes but I let it cook until 12 min (213). The frosting was just not fluffy and I think this was the caramel? Would it help to stick the reserve caramel in the frig before incorporating into the frosting? You mentioned putting caramel on the cake then refrigeration prior to frosting? Did you also put the frosting in the frig too?
Thank you in advance for our advise as I want the to be my Thanksgiving Centerpiece!
By the way.. The flavors are amazing.. Just looks a mess 🙂
HI!
So I did not put the frosting in the fridge, but I did allow the caramel to cool before I added it to the frosting, did you do this? I am not %100 sure as to what exactly you did or are asking, but let me know what I can help with!! Hope we can get it just right for you! Thanks!!
Thanks for the reply. I think I needed to let the caramel cool more prior to adding to the frosting!
Have you used butter instead of canola oil in the cake mix before? I usually like to use butter in my recipes, but I do have a few that butter just won’t give the same result as oil when you make it. I want to try this but I don’t want to mess it up putting butter in if it won’t work well.
Hi Sara,
I have not because I personally think canola oil works best for cakes, BUT if you like butter that will be fine. Enjoy the cake!
What type of bourbon did you use? I’m going to attempt this cake next week so working on my grocery list!
Also, this might be a dumb question but how did you clear enough space in your fridge to put the cake with the twigs sticking up top?!? Did you add the apples on top when you pulled it out to serve? I have a commercial grade fridge with tons of room but I would have to remove all my shelves to clear enough height for this beauty! (It would be worth doing that too, I’m sure!)
Love everything about this cake by the way!
HI!!
So I just moved out some shelves, but you can totally just add the apples to the top of the cake after it chills if that is easier for you. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the cake! 🙂
how long does this cake last in the fridge? Looks delicious, can’t wait to make it!
HI! 4-5 day in the fridge. Hope you love the cake! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe this year with all of the Halloween festivities coming up! The chocolate cake and the caramel look so delicious!
The cake looked and tasted great! Everyone loved it! Here’s a picture: http://pic.twitter.com/xVcVEim4er
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Freaking inspiation