halfbakedharvest4.1
Salted Caramel Apple Snickers Cake.
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.
👥 16 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 4h⏳ Prep: 1h🔥 Cook: 45 min👤 Tieghan Gerard📖 halfbakedharvest
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pan
- ●oven
- ●bowl
- ●knife
- ●pot
- ●saucepan
- ●measuring cup
- ●spatula
- ●microwave
- ●baking sheet
- ●stove
📝 Preparation Steps
1
To make the Cake
2
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.
3
In a medium size bowl combine the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.
cups granulated sugar2 1/4sugar2 cupspowdered sugar2 cupscinnamon1 teaspoon
4
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.
eggs (at room temperature)3
5
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.
6
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.
7
To Make the Caramel + Frosting
8
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).
cups granulated sugar2 1/4sugar2 cupspowdered sugar2 cupshoney (or corn syrup)1 cupapple cider1 cupheavy cream2 cupscup heavy cream1/2bourbon1 tablespooncup all-purpose flour2 1/4cups unsweetened cocoa powder1 1/2cup canola oil3/4cups unsweetened apple sauce1 1/2cup (1 stick) salted butter1/2cup creamy peanut butter (not the oily kind)1/2cup salted caramel (ingredients above)1/3cup salted peanuts (chopped + more for garnish)1/2
9
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.
cream cheese (softened)4 ouncessugar2 cupspowdered sugar2 cupscup all-purpose flour2 1/4cups granulated sugar2 1/4cups unsweetened cocoa powder1 1/2cup canola oil3/4cups unsweetened apple sauce1 1/2cup (1 stick) salted butter1/2cup creamy peanut butter (not the oily kind)1/2cup salted caramel (ingredients above)1/3cup salted peanuts (chopped + more for garnish)1/2cup heavy cream1/2
10
To Assemble the Cake
11
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.
cup all-purpose flour2 1/4cups granulated sugar2 1/4cups unsweetened cocoa powder1 1/2cup canola oil3/4cups unsweetened apple sauce1 1/2cup (1 stick) salted butter1/2cup creamy peanut butter (not the oily kind)1/2cup salted caramel (ingredients above)1/3cup salted peanuts (chopped + more for garnish)1/2cup heavy cream1/2
12
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.
13
To Finish.
14
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.
twigs or wooden sticks6
15
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.
Nutrition Facts
calories
953 kcal
fat Content
57 g
serving Size
1 serving
fiber Content
6 g
sugar Content
98 g
sodium Content
625 mg
protein Content
10 g
cholesterol Content
136 mg
carbohydrate Content
126 g
saturated Fat Content
26 g
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