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Apple Roll with caramel frosting: This is a decadent cake recipe perfect for fall and Thanksgiving. It’s a spice cake filled with cooked apples and topped with the most outrageous caramel frosting. This is an epic cake roll recipe!



Favorite Caramel Apple Cake Roll

There are so many wonderful and delicous fall dessert recipes out there, but this one literally the taste of fall rolled up into a cake! It has all those amazinf warm flavors that we look forward to all year in an impressive roll with apples, and frosting! What could be better that that?

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • This is a perfect fall crowd-pleaser dessert recipe. A cake roll always looks impressive and the warm spices and fall flavors offer that first-day-of-fall-feeling rolledup inside a delcious cake!
  • Texture of this cake it absoltuley to die for; It’s both creamy and crunchy. if you like a little bit of crunch this is for you!

Ingredients in Apple Cake Roll

  • Eggs – I always use large eggs. These help the cake rise so you need to beat them the right amount of time.
  • Applesauce – Be sure you are using no-sugar-added applesauce.
  • Molasses – Gives the cake that sweet delicious flavor and helps make the batter thick. 
  • Flour – use all-purpose flour and be sure to measure it correctly.
  • Granny Smith apples- These need to be peeled cored, and diced before use. 
  • Sugar – Brown sugar is used for the frosting
  • Heavy cream – makes a creamy caramel – no substitutions

How to make Caramel Apple Cake Roll

  • Make cake batter: Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 10×15 pan with foil and spray with baking spray (the kind with flour in it.) Then, beat eggs at high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar, applesauce, and molasses. Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add the two mixtures together and spread in to prepared pan.
  • Bake: Bake the batter for 10 minutes into a thin sheet. Turn out immediately onto a kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar or a a sheet of parchment paper. Roll the cake up while it’s still hot for best results. Let it cool completely. 
  • Make the filling: While the cake is baking and cooling you can start to make the filling. Melt butter into a medium frying pan. Add apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir together. Cook the mixture for about 2 minutes, until apples start to break down. Stir together water and cornstarch and add to the pan. Stir together water and cornstarch and add to the pan. Continuing cooking over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and apples are cooked. Remove from heat and place the apple in a bowl. Chill them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble to cake. 
  • Assemble the cake: Once everything is cooled, carefully unroll your cake. Spread apples evenly across. Spread to the edges as much as much as possible. Carefully, re-roll the cake and place on a cookie sheet before frosting.
  • Toast the nuts: Toast chopped nuts in a small frying pan over low heat, stirring them often. Do this for only a few minutes, be sure to not walk away from the stove this is a delicate process and they can burn in an instant. You can also toast them in an 350°F oven oven on a cooking sheet.
  • Make the frosting: First melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. I use salted butter but you can use unsalted as well. Make sure that if you do you add a pinchof salt to the frosting. Stir in brown sugar and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream until the mixture comes to a boil (this will be almost instantaneous). Remove the mixture from heat and whisk in powdered sugar until no lumps remain. Lastly, add vanilla extract. If the frosting is too thick at this point you can add some more cream one tablespoon at a time. 
  • Frost the cake: Pour frosting over thre cake roll evenly, malke sure to get the ends and all the sides. Work quickly and use an spatula to spread the frosting where there are holes. Feel free to eat any excess frosting that drips onto the cookie sheet (my favorite part). Sprinkling nuts on the cake can be a great way to top it off! Store the apple cake roll in the refridgerator but keep it at room temperature.

Expert Tip

  • I always have to stress in cake roll recipes, make sure you roll the cake while it’s still hot otherwise the cake will crack. Be careful in this process to not burn yourself, safety first!
  • It is very important you beat the eggs at high speed for the full 5 minutes until the mixture is thick and frothy and yellow – this helps get a fluffier cake.
  • The cake isn’t a traditional cake – it’s a bit flatter and denser and not as soft.

FAQs

Why did my cake roll crack?

Cakes rolls crack for multiple reasons, this could be that the cake wasn’t rolled fresh out of the oven when still hot, or perhaps it was baked for too long, or for too little. Re-visit the steps you took and see if there may have been an error with these three components. 

How do you store an apple cake roll?

Store your apple cake roll in the fridge so it stays fresh!

Can you freeze an apple cake roll?

Yes you can! This will allow the apple cake roll to stay fresh for a longer period of time so you can keep enjoying this yummy fall treat!

spice cake roll filled with apples and topped with caramel frosting and nuts on white platter

Spiced Caramel Apple Cake Roll

4.67 from 12 votes
Caramel Apple Cake Roll is a homemade spice cake roll filled with apples and topped with a caramel frosting – it's the perfect fall or Thanksgiving dessert!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

For the cake:

  • 3 large eggs
  • cup (133g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (118ml) no sugar added applesauce
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) molasses
  • ¾ cup (93g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon cloves
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the filling:

  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
  • 3 granny smith apples peeled, cored, and diced
  • cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon (8g) cornstarch
  • ¼ cup (59ml) water

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup walnuts or pecans chopped (optional)
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (60ml) heavy cream
  • 2 cups (226g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375F. Line a jelly roll (10×15″) pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. I like to use the spray with flour in it.
  • Beat eggs at high speed for 5 minutes.  Gradually beat in sugar, applesauce, and molasses.
  • Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add to other mixture. Spread into prepared pan.
  • Bake for 10 minutes. Turn out immediately onto a kitchen towel sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar. Starting at the narrow end, roll towel and cake together. Cool completely.
  • While the cake is baking and cooling, make the filling. Melt butter in a medium frying pan. Add apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, until apples start to release their juices. Stir together water and cornstarch and add to pan. Stir, and continue cooking over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until liquids are absorbed and apples are cooked. Remove from heat, then place apples in a bowl and chill until ready to assemble cake.
  • Once cake and apples are cool, carefully unroll the cake. Spread apples evenly across the cake, being sure to spread to the edges as much as possible. Starting at the narrow end, re-roll the cake. Place on a rack set over a cookie sheet to await frosting.
  • Toast chopped nuts in a small frying pan over low heat, stirring often, for just a few minutes. DO NOT WALK AWAY from the stove. They can burn in an instant. You can also toast them in a 350 degree oven on a cookie sheet, shaking the pan occasionally, for just a few minutes. Same thing: don’t walk away! Cool while preparing frosting.
  • To make the frosting, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. I use salted butter, if you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt.
  • Stir in brown sugar and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and stir until the mixture comes to a boil (it will probably be boiling almost instantly). Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar until no lumps remain, then whisk in vanilla extract. If frosting is too thick to pour at this point, add more cream (1 tablespoon at a time). Mine was pourable as written.
  • Pour frosting over cake roll evenly, being sure to get the ends and sides. Working quickly, use an offset spatula to help spread the frosting where it’s missing. The excess frosting will drip onto the cookie sheet. You can discard that, or eat it with a spoon. Sprinkle nuts over the top, if desired, to make it look prettier for serving. Carefully transfer to serving platter. Store in refrigerator, but serve at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

  • It is very important you beat the eggs at high speed for the full 5 minutes until the mixture is thick and frothy and yellow – this helps get a fluffier cake.
  • The cake isn’t a traditional cake – it’s a bit flatter and denser and not as soft.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 235mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 75g | Vitamin A: 470IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

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Last Updated on October 29, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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84 Comments

  1. This has all the things I love in it., caramel, apples, pecans and lots of flavor. Just like you said, it was easy to put together. The vake was easy to mix and quick it was done. The filling came together quickly, and then the caramel came out perfectly. WOW, this was everything I expected. Loved this and will definitely make again.
    Thanks for another great recipe.

  2. Absolutely amazing. I could eat the caramel frosting straight but the spice of the cake and apples really highlight it.