This Chopped Apple Cake with Sticky Toffee Topping has always been a favorite fall dessert recipe.
You know what I love about this cake? It’s not perfect. In fact, this cake is downright kind-of messy looking! That craggly, cracked top makes it perfectly unique.
It’s not your typical cake. It’s more like a cake crisp with plenty of apples.
How do you make a Chopped Apple Cake?
You’ll make a typical cake batter with plenty of fresh apple chunks mixed in. Walnuts are optional. I don’t like to add them because my family doesn’t like them, but if you’re into walnuts then please include them!
The chopped apple cake batter is spread into a rectangular pyrex pan and baked. It’s natural for it to crack a bit on top because of the plethora of chunky apples and walnuts in there. But once it comes out of the oven, you’ll take a knife and do some poking around on top to get the cake ready for the topping.
How to make the Sticky Toffee Topping:
Butter and brown sugar are combined and brought to a boil. Heavy whipping cream is mixed in, and you’ll continue to simmer for about five minutes until the mixture thickens a bit. It will thicken even more as it cools.
This is where all of the cracks in the cake come in handy. You’ll spoon the sticky toffee topping over the top of the cake. It’ll seep into the cracks and soak the cake with all of that gooey goodness.
You can see from a single serving that the cake becomes soaked with the toffee topping. It’s so gooey and wonderful!
This cake is so delicious on its own, but you can certainly add a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to finish it off.
If you’re looking for more apple dessert recipes, you might also enjoy my Apple Cranberry Crisp with Maple Whipped Cream or these Maple Apple Tartlets. Caramel Apple Cupcakes, Classic Double Crust Apple Pie and Amish Apple Fry Pies are great recipes starring apples too!
Chopped Apple Cake with Sticky Toffee Topping
Recipe Details
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups chopped, peeled and cored apples
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped (optional)
TOFFEE TOPPING:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Set your oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13x2-inch pyrex pan with nonstick spray.
PREPARE THE CAKE:
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Add the apples alternately with the sifted dry ingredients, beating after each addition. Fold in walnuts, if using.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour, or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack 25 minutes, or until just warm.
MAKE THE TOFFEE TOPPING:
- Melt the butter in a heavy metal saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar and salt and whisk until blended. Add the heavy cream, increase heat to medium, and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. The mixture will thicken as it rests.
- Make several slits in the warm cake with a butter knife. Pour the sauce over the cake. Let the cake rest until the topping sets, about 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or unsweetened whipped cream. Store loosely covered with wax paper at room temperature.
Notes
- Nutritional information has been figured without using walnuts.
I made this once and it was amazing. My only question is, is it supposed to be a super thick batter? When I made it, I had to spoon it into the pan and spread it with a spoon. It was also a really thin cake, I thought about doubling the recipe but wasn’t sure if that would work too. Any suggestions?
I’m sorry, I don’t recall. Guess I’ll have to make it again to find out!